Project Gutenberg Library B1 C1

"Ask Mamma"

"Ask Mamma" by Robert Smith Surtees is available here as the complete text, split into 1162 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Robert Smith Surtees40 chapters

"Ask Mamma" by Robert Smith Surtees. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #44822.

40 chaptersComplete chronicle

Five linesIn each reading

US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Open Chapter I

Academic course · 40 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

"Ask Mamma"

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 1148 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of "Ask Mamma" by Robert Smith Surtees carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #44822, divided into 40 chapters and 1162 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

Where can I read "Ask Mamma" in full?

The complete text of "Ask Mamma" is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #44822 and divided into 1162 sections.

This page carries the whole of "Ask Mamma" by Robert Smith Surtees, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #44822, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 5809 sentences across 40 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.

How is "Ask Mamma" divided for reading?

"Ask Mamma" is presented in 40 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting "Ask Mamma" as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1162 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The sections are gathered into 40 chapters.

Can I hear "Ask Mamma" read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of "Ask Mamma" can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of "Ask Mamma" can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.

Questions about reading "Ask Mamma"

Common questions about reading "Ask Mamma" by Robert Smith Surtees on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of "Ask Mamma"?

Yes. All 5809 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44822 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of "Ask Mamma" is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44822, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does "Ask Mamma" take to read?

About 484 minutes of reading across 1162 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read "Ask Mamma" section by section

How to work through "Ask Mamma" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 40 chapters of "Ask Mamma" to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in "Ask Mamma"

Words and structures a reader meets early in "Ask Mamma", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Recommendation: A word that appears in the opening chapter of "Ask Mamma"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lover: A word that appears in the opening chapter of "Ask Mamma"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Light: A word that appears in the opening chapter of "Ask Mamma"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Literature: A word that appears in the opening chapter of "Ask Mamma"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

"Ask Mamma"

Where can I read "Ask Mamma" in full?

How is "Ask Mamma" divided for reading?

Can I hear "Ask Mamma" read aloud?

Questions about reading "Ask Mamma"

How to read "Ask Mamma" section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in "Ask Mamma"