Chapter 1 of A Sweet Little Maid is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Sweet Little Maid is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?" "No," said Dimple, drowsily. "I'm are." "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking." "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
Chapter 1 of A Sweet Little Maid is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “"Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"”
plural of “bubble” — a hollow globule of gas (e.g., air or carbon dioxide)
From this reading “"Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."”
a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still attached
From this reading “"Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"”
your parents
From this reading “"Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.”
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “"Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “"Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."”
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading “"Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I'm are."
in a state of sleep
From this reading "Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
plural of “bubble” — a hollow globule of gas (e.g., air or carbon dioxide)
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
a chad that has been punched or dimpled but all four corners are still attached
From this reading "Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"
in a drowsy manner
From this reading "No," said Dimple, drowsily.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
your parents
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm are."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No," said Dimple, drowsily.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No," said Dimple, drowsily.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Folks talks in their sleep sometimes, Miss Dimple," answered Bubbles, opening her black eyes.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, Bubbles," replied Dimple, "if you were asleep you wouldn't be talking."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is yuh asleep, Miss Dimple?"
Chapter 1 of A Sweet Little Maid by Amy Ella Blanchard holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 200 sentences of A Sweet Little Maid, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Sweet Little Maid by Amy Ella Blanchard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Sweet Little Maid by Amy Ella Blanchard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2985 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19025 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19025, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 248 minutes of reading across 597 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Sweet Little Maid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of A Sweet Little Maid 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 Sweet Little Maid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
