Chapter 1 of A harum-scarum schoolgirl is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A harum-scarum schoolgirl is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice. "If I'd only known! D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage? Not a bit of it! Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
Chapter 1 of A harum-scarum schoolgirl is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading “D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?”
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading “"If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.”
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “"If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “"If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.”
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading “D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?”
under normal conditions
From this reading “"If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.”
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading “"If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.”
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 "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Not a bit of it!
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Not a bit of it!
apprehended with certainty
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a bit of it!
a brief written record
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
and nothing more
From this reading "If I'd only known!
in other respects or ways
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading D'you think I'd have come trotting back here with my baggage?
under normal conditions
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "If I'd known!" groaned Winifred Cranston, otherwise Wendy, with a note of utter tragedy in her usually cheerful voice.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Nothing in this wide world should have dragged me.
Chapter 1 of A harum-scarum schoolgirl by Angela Brazil holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of A harum-scarum schoolgirl, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A harum-scarum schoolgirl by Angela Brazil exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 harum-scarum schoolgirl by Angela Brazil on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4423 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24645 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24645, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A harum-scarum schoolgirl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A harum-scarum schoolgirl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
