Chapter 2 of The Mary Frances Sewing Book is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Mary Frances Sewing Book is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING. “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later. “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.” “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.” “Well!
Chapter 2 of The Mary Frances Sewing Book is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a loose temporary sewing stitch to hold layers of fabric together
From this reading “THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.”
a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading ““I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.””
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading ““I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.””
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading ““GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.”
a farewell remark
From this reading ““GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ““GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.”
plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading ““I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.””
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading ““I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.””
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 ““You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.””
In this reading ““I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.””
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 “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
a loose temporary sewing stitch to hold layers of fabric together
From this reading THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.
a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
dearly loved
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
a farewell remark
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
go away from a place
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
make reference to
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
participate in games or sport
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASTING.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I think I’ll stay in, Grandma, if you don’t mind,” answered Mary Frances, not quite daring to mention her sewing lessons, “I have a sort of an engagement.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “GOOD-BYE, dear,” said Grandma, taking leave of Mary Frances a day or two later.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well!
during the time that
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You may play in the garden while I’m gone, if you want to.”
Chapter 2 of The Mary Frances Sewing Book by Jane Eayre Fryer holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 2 holds 90 sentences of The Mary Frances Sewing Book, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Mary Frances Sewing Book by Jane Eayre Fryer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 2 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 Mary Frances Sewing Book by Jane Eayre Fryer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3661 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58937 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58937, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mary Frances Sewing Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Mary Frances Sewing Book 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 Mary Frances Sewing Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
