Chapter 3 of When Polly Was Eighteen is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of When Polly Was Eighteen is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came. She could not have told why. Certainly she did not expect a letter. Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table. Then she stared.
Chapter 3 of When Polly Was Eighteen is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.”
plural of “envelope” — a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.”
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading “Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.”
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading “Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.”
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading “Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.”
express the need or desire for
From this reading “DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “Then she stared.”
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 “DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.”
get rid of
In this reading “Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.”
In this reading “DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.”
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 DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Certainly she did not expect a letter.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could not have told why.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Certainly she did not expect a letter.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
plural of “envelope” — a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading Certainly she did not expect a letter.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She could not have told why.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Certainly she did not expect a letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She could not have told why.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
express the need or desire for
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not have told why.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Then she stared.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she stared.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Mechanically she received the bunch of mail, mechanically she threw off the envelopes and papers, one by one, on the hall table.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading She could not have told why.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
at the time that
From this reading DAVID MAKES A REQUEST The next morning Polly was at the door as usual when the letter-carrier came.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading She could not have told why.
Chapter 3 of When Polly Was Eighteen by Emma C. Dowd holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of When Polly Was Eighteen, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of When Polly Was Eighteen by Emma C. Dowd exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 When Polly Was Eighteen by Emma C. Dowd on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4786 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58512, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 398 minutes of reading across 958 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When Polly Was Eighteen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of When Polly Was Eighteen 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 When Polly Was Eighteen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
