Chapter 1 of A Dear Little Girl is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Dear Little Girl is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO. RACINE, WIS. "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway. Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant. She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
Chapter 1 of A Dear Little Girl is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
plural of “happening” — an event that happens
plural of “opportunity” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.”
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading “WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO.”
French advocate of Jansenism; tragedian who based his works on Greek and Roman themes (1639-1699)
From this reading “RACINE, WIS.”
not often
From this reading “She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.”
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading “Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.”
United States poet who celebrated the greatness of America (1819-1892)
From this reading “WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO.”
plural of “wi” — a midwestern state in north central United States
From this reading “RACINE, WIS.”
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.
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
In this reading “She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.”
In this reading “She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.”
In this reading “"It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.”
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 "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
plural of “happening” — an event that happens
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
and nothing more
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
being perceived or observed
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
plural of “opportunity” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO.
French advocate of Jansenism; tragedian who based his works on Greek and Roman themes (1639-1699)
From this reading RACINE, WIS.
not often
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
at the time that
From this reading She had noticed that when pleasant things came along they were rarely spoken of as "opportunities," but were just _happenings_.
United States poet who celebrated the greatness of America (1819-1892)
From this reading WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "It will be a fine opportunity for Edna," said Mrs. Conway.
plural of “wi” — a midwestern state in north central United States
From this reading RACINE, WIS.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Edna did not like that word opportunity; it always seemed to her that it meant something unpleasant.
Chapter 1 of A Dear Little Girl by Amy Ella Blanchard holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 143 sentences of A Dear Little Girl, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Dear Little Girl by Amy Ella Blanchard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Dear Little Girl by Amy Ella Blanchard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1969 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31244 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31244, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 164 minutes of reading across 394 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Dear Little Girl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of A Dear Little Girl 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 Dear Little Girl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
