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The Flirt
The Flirt

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Flirt is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Flirt
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"How funny little girls are!
From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.
I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.
And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.
The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.
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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 Flirt

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Flirt is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"How funny little girls are!
Line 2
From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.
Line 3
I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.
Line 4
And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.
Line 5
The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

All words in this reading · 62

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.

about

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

an

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

and

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

are

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

From this reading "How funny little girls are!

as

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

be

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

began

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

believe

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

bits

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

Cora

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

discuss

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

don't

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

ever

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

expect

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

expected

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

five

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

From

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

funny

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

From this reading "How funny little girls are!

gayer

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

genuinely

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

girls

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

From this reading "How funny little girls are!

going

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

grow

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

How

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

From this reading "How funny little girls are!

I

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

it

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

just

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

little

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

From this reading "How funny little girls are!

maid

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

marriage

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

marry

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

most

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

much

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

not

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

of

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

old

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

one

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

ones

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

person

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

plan

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

prettier

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

seven

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

she

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

sort

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

talk

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

the

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

there

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

they

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

they're

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

things

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

think

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

time

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

to

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

unattractive

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

up

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

was

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

what

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

when

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

From this reading I think Cora and I began when she was about five and I not seven.

who

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

From this reading And as girls grow up, I don't believe there was ever one who genuinely expected to be an old maid.

whom

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

will

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

From this reading From the time they're little bits of things they talk about marriage--whom they are going to marry, what sort of person it will be.

young

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

From this reading The most unattractive young girls discuss and plan and expect marriage just as much as the prettier and gayer ones.

Chapter 21 of The Flirt by Booth Tarkington holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 of The Flirt contain?

Chapter 21 holds 183 sentences of The Flirt, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Flirt by Booth Tarkington exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 21 of The Flirt?

Work through the 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 37 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Flirt

Common questions about reading The Flirt by Booth Tarkington on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Flirt?

Yes. All 4860 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #297 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Flirt is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #297, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Flirt take to read?

About 405 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Flirt section by section

How to work through The Flirt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Flirt to begin.

  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 Flirt

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Flirt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Valentine
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flirt; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Corliss
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flirt; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Walked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flirt; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Street
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Flirt; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.