Chapter 1 of Behind a Mask is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Behind a Mask is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Has she come?” “No, Mamma, not yet.” “I wish it were well over. The thought of it worries and excites me. A cushion for my back, Bella.”
Chapter 1 of Behind a Mask is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 or to or toward a former location
From this reading “A cushion for my back, Bella.””
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading “A cushion for my back, Bella.””
third-person singular of “excite” — arouse or elicit a feeling
From this reading “The thought of it worries and excites me.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading ““No, Mamma, not yet.””
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “The thought of it worries and excites me.”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading ““I wish it were well over.”
plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading “The thought of it worries and excites me.”
but in spite of that
From this reading ““No, Mamma, not yet.””
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 A cushion for my back, Bella.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A cushion for my back, Bella.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A cushion for my back, Bella.”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Has she come?”
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading A cushion for my back, Bella.”
third-person singular of “excite” — arouse or elicit a feeling
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A cushion for my back, Bella.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Has she come?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I wish it were well over.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I wish it were well over.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “No, Mamma, not yet.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A cushion for my back, Bella.”
not any; not one
From this reading “No, Mamma, not yet.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “No, Mamma, not yet.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
above and across; more than
From this reading “I wish it were well over.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Has she come?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “I wish it were well over.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I wish it were well over.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “I wish it were well over.
plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading The thought of it worries and excites me.
but in spite of that
From this reading “No, Mamma, not yet.”
Chapter 1 of Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of Behind a Mask, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Behind a Mask by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2408 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8677, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 200 minutes of reading across 482 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Behind a Mask section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Behind a Mask 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 Behind a Mask, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
