Chapter 1 of A Little Norsk is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Little Norsk is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'. It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up. I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up. I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it. I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
Chapter 1 of A Little Norsk is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 4/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20
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.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.”
a storm with widespread snowfall accompanied by strong winds
From this reading “It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.”
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading “I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.”
prepare a hot meal
From this reading “I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.”
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.”
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.
hold a review (of troops)
In this reading “I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.”
In this reading “I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
a storm with widespread snowfall accompanied by strong winds
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
start firing a weapon
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
above and across; more than
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm afraid he's out o' coal, 'r sick, 'r somethin'.
express in speech
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was goin' to speak of it this mornin', but f'rgot it.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It 'u'd be mighty tough f'r the woman an' babe to be there without any fire, an' this blizzard whoopin' her up.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I'm cook this week, so I guess the job falls on you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I guess you'd better go over an' see what's up.
Chapter 1 of A Little Norsk by Hamlin Garland holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 73 sentences of A Little Norsk, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Little Norsk by Hamlin Garland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Little Norsk by Hamlin Garland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1971 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21850 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21850, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 164 minutes of reading across 395 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Little Norsk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of A Little Norsk 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 Little Norsk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
