Surprise house

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Surprise house is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Abbie Farwell Brown • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE LIBRARY According to the will left by that eccentric old lady, Miss Nan Corliss, her nephew, Dr. Corliss,--whom she had not seen for thirty years,--was to receive the old house at Crowfield.

His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Surprise house Abbie Farwell Brown

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Surprise house is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE LIBRARY According to the will left by that eccentric old lady, Miss Nan Corliss, her nephew, Dr. Corliss,--whom she had not seen for thirty years,--was to receive the old house at Crowfield. His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library. John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go. And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.” Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

Surprise house

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Surprise house is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE LIBRARY According to the will left by that eccentric old lady, Miss Nan Corliss, her nephew, Dr. Corliss,--whom she had not seen for thirty years,--was to receive the old house at Crowfield.

Line 2

His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

/hɪz waɪf ˌɪnˈherətɪd ɔːl ðə ˈfɜːrnɪtʃər ʌv ðə oʊld haʊs ɪkˈsept wʌt wɑːz ɪn ðə ˈlaɪbreriː/

Line 3

John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

Line 4

And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

Line 5

Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

/ˈmeri wɑːz naʊ ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː siː wʌt hɜːr ˈlaɪbreriː wɑːz laɪk ənd wʌt ðeˈrɪn rɪˈmeɪnd/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

eccentric adjective US /ɪkˈsentrɪk/

conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual

From this reading “THE LIBRARY According to the will left by that eccentric old lady, Miss Nan Corliss, her nephew, Dr. Corliss,--whom she had not seen for thirty years,--was to receive the old house at Crowfield.”

furniture noun US /ˈfɜːrnɪtʃər/

furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy

From this reading “His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.”

grandnephew noun US /ˈɡrændˈnefjuː/

a son of your niece or nephew

From this reading “John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.”

inherited adjective US /ˌɪnˈherətɪd/

occurring among members of a family usually by heredity

From this reading “His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.”

Nan noun US /næn/

your grandmother

nephew noun US /ˈnefjuː/

a son of your brother or sister

remaining adjective US /rɪˈmeɪnɪŋ/

not used up

From this reading “And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.””

therein adverb US /ðeˈrɪn/

(formal) in or into that thing or place

From this reading “And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.””

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

thousand dollars noun + noun counted as “thousand dollar”

In this reading “John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.”

thirty years noun + noun

In this reading “THE LIBRARY According to the will left by that eccentric old lady, Miss Nan Corliss, her nephew, Dr. Corliss,--whom she had not seen for thirty years,--was to receive the old house at Crowfield.”

two thousand noun + noun

In this reading “John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.”

old lady adjective + noun

your own wife

old enough adjective + noun

In this reading “John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.”

old house adjective + noun

in the library preposition + article + noun counted as “in … library”

In this reading “His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.”

for thirty preposition + noun

All words in this reading · 74

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

AccordingadjectiveUS /əˈkɔːrdɪŋ/

(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with

From this reading THE LIBRARY According to the will left by that eccentric old lady, Miss Nan Corliss, her nephew, Dr. Corliss,--whom she had not seen for thirty years,--was to receive the old house at Crowfield.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

AuntnounUS /ænt/

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

belongverbUS /bɪˈlɔːŋ/

be owned by; be in the possession of

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

collegenounUS /ˈkɑːlɪdʒ/

the body of faculty and students of a college

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

Corliss

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Crowfield

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

declaredadjectiveUS /dɪˈklerd/

made known or openly avowed

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

eccentricadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsentrɪk/

conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

furniturenounUS /ˈfɜːrnɪtʃər/

furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

grandnephewnounUS /ˈɡrændˈnefjuː/

a son of your niece or nephew

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

grandniecenoun

a daughter of your niece or nephew

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

inheritedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈherətɪd/

occurring among members of a family usually by heredity

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

LIBRARYnounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

NannounUS /næn/

your grandmother

nephewnounUS /ˈnefjuː/

a son of your brother or sister

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

receiveverbUS /rəˈsiːv/

get something; come into possession of

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

remainingadjectiveUS /rɪˈmeɪnɪŋ/

not used up

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Mary was now going to see what her library was like, and what therein remained.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

sendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thereinadverbUS /ðeˈrɪn/

(formal) in or into that thing or place

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

thirtynounUS /ˈθɜːrdiː/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

unknownadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊn/

not known

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading John Corliss, the only grandnephew, was to have two thousand dollars to send him to college when he should be old enough to go.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading His wife inherited all the furniture of the old house, except what was in the library.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And to Mary, the unknown grandniece whom she had never seen, Aunt Nan had declared should belong “my library room at Crowfield, with everything therein remaining.”

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

Chapter 3 of Surprise house by Abbie Farwell Brown holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 3 of Surprise house contain?

Chapter 3 holds 102 sentences of Surprise house, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Surprise house by Abbie Farwell Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 3 of Surprise house?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

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Chapter III

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