Chapter 3 of The Little House is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Little House is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred. Who was the strange lady? What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted? She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad. I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
Chapter 3 of The Little House is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading “EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.”
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.”
to an ample degree or in an ample manner
From this reading “She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.”
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?”
without ceremony or formality
From this reading “EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.”
migratory
From this reading “What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?”
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.
In this reading “I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
eagerly desirous
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
at any time
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
wearing a gown
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Who was the strange lady?
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
to an ample degree or in an ample manner
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
from a time in the past until now
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Who was the strange lady?
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Who was the strange lady?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was anxious to learn more, so I listened intently.
without ceremony or formality
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
precisely as stated
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading EVER since I had been built had any visit quite as unceremonious as this occurred.
migratory
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Who was the strange lady?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was she doing wandering the streets at this hour unescorted?
which person or people
From this reading Who was the strange lady?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading She was beautiful and richly gowned; her face was young, but very sad.
Chapter 3 of The Little House by Coningsby Dawson holds 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 3 holds 52 sentences of The Little House, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Little House by Coningsby Dawson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Little House by Coningsby Dawson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1163 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50274 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50274, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 96 minutes of reading across 233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Little House 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 Little House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
