Chapter 2 of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!" Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly. "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted. "But you see, that's not my carpetbag. At least, I didn't get it new.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “"Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.”
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “"Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.”
in an indignant manner
From this reading “Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.”
small round bright-colored and spotted beetle that usually feeds on aphids and other insect pests
From this reading “Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “"A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “"A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “"A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"”
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 "A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At least, I didn't get it new.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
following the practices or characteristic of carpetbaggers
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At least, I didn't get it new.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading At least, I didn't get it new.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"
in an indignant manner
From this reading Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
small round bright-colored and spotted beetle that usually feeds on aphids and other insect pests
From this reading Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading At least, I didn't get it new.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading "A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed indignantly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading "A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading At least, I didn't get it new.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"
express in words
From this reading "Well, I dare say it is," he admitted.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "A perfectly natural mistake, I'm sure!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
(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, I dare say it is," he admitted.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But you see, that's not my carpetbag.
Chapter 2 of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug by Arthur Scott Bailey holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug by Arthur Scott Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 tale of Mrs. Ladybug by Arthur Scott Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20097 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20097, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 100 minutes of reading across 241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The tale of Mrs. Ladybug section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The tale of Mrs. Ladybug 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 tale of Mrs. Ladybug, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
