Chapter 1 of A Child's Dream of a Star is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Child's Dream of a Star is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CHILD’S DREAM OF A STAR. BY CHARLES DICKENS. _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO. 1871. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Chapter 1 of A Child's Dream of a Star is here in full — 60 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river
From this reading “_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.”
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.”
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading “BY CHARLES DICKENS.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.”
a professional person trained in library science and engaged in library services
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.”
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.”
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 “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1871.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CHILD’S DREAM OF A STAR.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY CHARLES DICKENS.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading BY CHARLES DICKENS.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading A CHILD’S DREAM OF A STAR.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading BY CHARLES DICKENS.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading A CHILD’S DREAM OF A STAR.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
a professional person trained in library science and engaged in library services
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CHILD’S DREAM OF A STAR.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading A CHILD’S DREAM OF A STAR.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAMMATT BILLINGS._ BOSTON: FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, BY FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Chapter 1 of A Child's Dream of a Star by Charles Dickens holds 60 sentences, grouped into 12 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 1 holds 60 sentences of A Child's Dream of a Star, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Child's Dream of a Star by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 60 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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 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.
Common questions about reading A Child's Dream of a Star by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 60 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42232 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42232, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 12 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Child's Dream of a Star section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of A Child's Dream of a Star 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 A Child's Dream of a Star, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
