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Almost a Woman
Almost a Woman

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Almost a Woman is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mary Wood-Allen • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Almost a Woman
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.
Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.
"Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!
Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."
--Longfellow.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Almost a Woman

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Almost a Woman is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.
Line 2
Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.
Line 3
"Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!
/ˈstændɪŋ wɪð rɪˈlʌktənt fiːt wer ðə brʊk ənd ˈrɪvər miːt ˈwʊmənhʊd ənd ˈtʃaɪldhʊd fliːt/
Line 4
Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."
/laɪk ðə swel ʌv sʌm swiːt tuːn ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ˈraɪzəz ˈɪntuː nuːn meɪ ɡlaɪdz ˈɔːnwərd ˈɪntuː dʒuːn/
Line 5
--Longfellow.
/ˈlɔːŋfeloʊ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Caring noun US /ˈkerɪŋ/

a loving feeling

From this reading “Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
glides noun US /ɡlaɪdz/

plural of “glide” — a vowellike sound that serves as a consonant

From this reading “Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Longfellow noun US /ˈlɔːŋfeloʊ/

United States poet remembered for his long narrative poems (1807-1882)

From this reading “--Longfellow.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onward adverb US /ˈɔːnwərd/

forward in time or order or degree

From this reading “Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reluctant adjective US /rɪˈlʌktənt/

unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom

From this reading “"Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Rewarded verb US /rɪˈwɔːrdɪd/

past form of “reward” — bestow honor or rewards upon

From this reading “Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rises noun US /ˈraɪzəz/

plural of “rise” — a growth in strength or number or importance

From this reading “Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Womanhood noun US /ˈwʊmənhʊd/

the state of being an adult woman

From this reading “"Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

Married Life adjective + noun

In this reading “Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.”

3,872 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AlmostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BabynounUS /ˈbeɪbi/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brooknounUS /brʊk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CaringnounUS /ˈkerɪŋ/

a loving feeling

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Child-Confidence

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

Pending verification
childhoodnounUS /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/

the time of person's life when they are a child

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DnounUS /diː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Etc

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

Pending verification
feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fleetnounUS /fliːt/

group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
glidesnounUS /ɡlaɪdz/

plural of “glide” — a vowellike sound that serves as a consonant

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IdealadjectiveUS /aɪˈdiːl/

conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
JunenounUS /dʒuːn/

the month following May and preceding July

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LikeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LongfellownounUS /ˈlɔːŋfeloʊ/

United States poet remembered for his long narrative poems (1807-1882)

From this reading --Longfellow.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/

joined in matrimony

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MorningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
noonnounUS /nuːn/

the middle of the day

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onwardadverbUS /ˈɔːnwərd/

forward in time or order or degree

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reluctantadjectiveUS /rɪˈlʌktənt/

unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RewardedverbUS /rɪˈwɔːrdɪd/

past form of “reward” — bestow honor or rewards upon

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
risesnounUS /ˈraɪzəz/

plural of “rise” — a growth in strength or number or importance

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StandingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/

having a supporting base

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
swellverbUS /swel/

increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TeachingnounUS /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/

the profession of a teacher

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TruthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tunenounUS /tuːn/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading Like the swell of some sweet tune Morning rises into noon, May glides onward into June."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WomanhoodnounUS /ˈwʊmənhʊd/

the state of being an adult woman

From this reading "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WonderfuladjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərfəl/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

From this reading Author of "Teaching Truth"; "Almost a Man"; "Child-Confidence Rewarded;" "Caring for the Baby"; "The Man Wonderful"; "Ideal Married Life;" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Wood-Allen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading By Mary Wood-Allen, M. D.

Pending verification

Chapter 1 of Almost a Woman by Mary Wood-Allen holds 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

What does chapter 1 of Almost a Woman contain?

Chapter 1 holds 52 sentences of Almost a Woman, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Almost a Woman by Mary Wood-Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Almost a Woman?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Almost a Woman

Common questions about reading Almost a Woman by Mary Wood-Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Almost a Woman?

Yes. All 1031 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31861 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Almost a Woman is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31861, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Almost a Woman take to read?

About 85 minutes of reading across 207 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Almost a Woman section by section

How to work through Almost a Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of Almost a Woman to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Almost a Woman

Words and structures a reader meets early in Almost a Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Wood-allen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Almost a Woman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Almost a Woman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Teaching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Almost a Woman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Truth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Almost a Woman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.