Chapter 17 of The girls is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The girls is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death. She had no formal warning. No official envelope prepared her. And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it. She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
Chapter 17 of The girls is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.”
positioned so as to be ready for confrontation or danger
From this reading “And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.”
coarse jute fabric
From this reading “She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.”
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading “They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.”
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “No official envelope prepared her.”
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
From this reading “She had no formal warning.”
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading “They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.”
plural of “roll” — rotary motion of an object around its own axis
From this reading “She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.”
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.
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
positioned so as to be ready for confrontation or danger
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
coarse jute fabric
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
make calm or still
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading No official envelope prepared her.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
From this reading She had no formal warning.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had no formal warning.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading No official envelope prepared her.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
in motion
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
information about recent and important events
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
not any; not one
From this reading She had no formal warning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading No official envelope prepared her.
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading No official envelope prepared her.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
plural of “roll” — rotary motion of an object around its own axis
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had no formal warning.
confined on all sides
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
a message informing of danger
From this reading She had no formal warning.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
at the time that
From this reading They were in the midst of packing and moving when the news came of Jesse Dick's death.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading She and her father were at breakfast surrounded by wooden packing boxes and burlap rolls.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet she received it with a dreadful calm, as though she had expected it, and had braced herself for it.
Chapter 17 of The girls by Edna Ferber holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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.
Chapter 17 holds 97 sentences of The girls, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The girls by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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.
Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.
Common questions about reading The girls by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7190 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 599 minutes of reading across 1438 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The girls to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
