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A bird of passage
A bird of passage

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of A bird of passage is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A bird of passage
Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A BIRD OF PASSAGE.
AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."
"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."
THE TEMPEST.
WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A bird of passage

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of A bird of passage is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A BIRD OF PASSAGE.
/ə bɜːrd ʌv ˈpæsədʒ/
Line 2
AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."
Line 3
"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."
Line 4
THE TEMPEST.
/ðə ˈtempəst/
Line 5
WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

Learner Dictionary

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.

author noun US /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."”

bird noun US /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading “A BIRD OF PASSAGE.”

fortunes noun US /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/

plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading “"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."”

grows verb US /ɡroʊz/

third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading “"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."”

proper adjective US /ˈprɑːpər/

marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."”

seek verb US /siːk/

try to get or reach

From this reading “"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."”

tempest noun US /ˈtempəst/

a violent commotion or disturbance

From this reading “THE TEMPEST.”

ward noun US /wɔːrd/

a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

From this reading “WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

young men adjective + noun

In this reading “"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."”

PROPER PRIDE adjective + noun

In this reading “AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."”

at home preposition + noun

a reception held in your own home

In this reading “"Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

12

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A BIRD OF PASSAGE.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

BIRDnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading A BIRD OF PASSAGE.

CnounUS /siː/

a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

COVENT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

DOWNEY

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

ELSE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

fortunesnounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/

plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

furtheradverbUS /ˈfɜːrðər/

to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

GARDENnounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

growsverbUS /ɡroʊz/

third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

MISSverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

NEVILLE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A BIRD OF PASSAGE.

ONEpronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

PASSAGEnounUS /ˈpæsədʒ/

the act of passing from one state or place to the next

From this reading A BIRD OF PASSAGE.

PRETTYadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

PRIDEnounUS /praɪd/

a feeling of self-respect and personal worth

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

PROPERadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːpər/

marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

scatters

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

seekverbUS /siːk/

try to get or reach

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

SOMEadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading AUTHOR OF "PROPER PRIDE," "PRETTY MISS NEVILLE," "SOME ONE ELSE."

STREETnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

TEMPESTnounUS /ˈtempəst/

a violent commotion or disturbance

From this reading THE TEMPEST.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

thro

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

WnounUS /ˈdʌbəljuː/

a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

WARDnounUS /wɔːrd/

a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, W.C.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading "Such wind as scatters young men thro' the world To seek their fortunes further than at home, Where small experience grows."

Chapter 1 of A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 1 of A bird of passage contain?

Chapter 1 holds 76 sentences of A bird of passage, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of A bird of passage?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading A bird of passage

Common questions about reading A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A bird of passage?

Yes. All 6249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A bird of passage is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #69198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A bird of passage take to read?

About 520 minutes of reading across 1250 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A bird of passage section by section

How to work through A bird of passage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of A bird of passage to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in A bird of passage

Words and structures a reader meets early in A bird of passage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Passage
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A bird of passage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A bird of passage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Proper
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A bird of passage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pride
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A bird of passage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.