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The Automobile Girls at Washington
The Automobile Girls at Washington

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Automobile Girls at Washington is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Automobile Girls at Washington
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.
Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.
It was almost dark.
An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.
Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.
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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.

The Automobile Girls at Washington

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Automobile Girls at Washington is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.
Line 2
Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.
Line 3
It was almost dark.
/ɪt wɑːz ˈɔːlmoʊst dɑːrk/
Line 4
An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.
Line 5
Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

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.

Berkshires noun US /ˈbɜːrkʃɪrz/

a low mountain range in western Massachusetts; a resort area

From this reading “or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.”

Connecticut noun US /kəˈnetəkət/

a New England state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.”

Hudson noun US /ˈhʌdsən/

a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century

From this reading “or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.”

Newport noun US /ˈnuːpɔːrt/

a port city in southeastern Wales

From this reading “or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.”

Plots noun US /plɑːts/

plural of “plot” — a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)

From this reading “or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.”

shrouded verb US /ˈʃraʊdɪd/

past form of “shroud” — cover as if with a shroud

From this reading “An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.”

stationed verb US /ˈsteɪʃənd/

past form of “station” — assign to a station

From this reading “An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.”

twinkled verb US /ˈtwɪŋkəld/

past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently

From this reading “An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading It was almost dark.

AlongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

AndeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

AutomobilenounUS /ˈɔːtəmoʊbiːl/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

AvenuenounUS /ˈævənuː/

a line of approach

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

Barbara

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

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

BeachnounUS /biːtʃ/

an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

BerkshiresnounUS /ˈbɜːrkʃɪrz/

a low mountain range in western Massachusetts; a resort area

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

Checkmating

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

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/

largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

ConnecticutnounUS /kəˈnetəkət/

a New England state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

curtainnounUS /ˈkɜːrtən/

hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading It was almost dark.

drawing-room

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

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

etc

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

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/

to a faint degree or weakly perceived

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

fartheradjectiveUS /ˈfɑːrðər/

more distant in especially space or time

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

ForeignadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrən/

of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

GirlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

housenounUS /haʊs/

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

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

HudsonnounUS /ˈhʌdsən/

a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th century

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was almost dark.

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

NewportnounUS /ˈnuːpɔːrt/

a port city in southeastern Wales

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/

occurring from time to time

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/

out of fashion

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

PalmnounUS /pɑːm/

the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

PlotsnounUS /plɑːts/

plural of “plot” — a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

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

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

rustleverbUS /ˈrʌsəl/

make a dry crackling sound

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

shroudedverbUS /ˈʃraʊdɪd/

past form of “shroud” — cover as if with a shroud

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

SpiesnounUS /spaɪz/

plural of “spy” — (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

stationedverbUS /ˈsteɪʃənd/

past form of “station” — assign to a station

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

SuddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading Suddenly she heard a curtain at the farther end of the drawing-room rustle faintly.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies Author of The Automobile Girls at Newport, The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires, The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson, The Automobile Girls at Chicago, The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach, etc.

Thurston

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

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

twilightnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

twinkledverbUS /ˈtwɪŋkəld/

past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was almost dark.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading An occasional light twinkled outside in the street, but the room in which Barbara was stationed was still shrouded in twilight.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Barbara Thurston stood at the window of a large old-fashioned house, looking out into Connecticut Avenue.

Chapter 1 of The Automobile Girls at Washington by Laura Dent Crane holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 1 of The Automobile Girls at Washington contain?

Chapter 1 holds 286 sentences of The Automobile Girls at Washington, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Automobile Girls at Washington by Laura Dent Crane exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 1 of The Automobile Girls at Washington?

Work through the 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 58 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading The Automobile Girls at Washington

Common questions about reading The Automobile Girls at Washington by Laura Dent Crane on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Automobile Girls at Washington?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Automobile Girls at Washington is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Automobile Girls at Washington take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Automobile Girls at Washington section by section

How to work through The Automobile Girls at Washington section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Automobile Girls at Washington

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Automobile Girls at Washington, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Automobile Girls at Washington, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The Automobile Girls at Washington, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Automobile Girls at Washington, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.