Chapter 1 of Blessed Event is here in full — 601 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Blessed Event is here in full — 601 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth. Naturally the event had to be celebrated. And it was--in a devastating manner! Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron. "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
Chapter 1 of Blessed Event is here in full — 601 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/120 · 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.
a garment of cloth or leather or plastic that is tied about the waist and worn to protect your clothing
From this reading “Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “Naturally the event had to be celebrated.”
making light of
From this reading “And it was--in a devastating manner!”
the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
From this reading “Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.”
position 1,000,000 in a countable series of things
From this reading “He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.”
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading “"You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.”
uttering a loud inarticulate cry as of pain or excitement
From this reading “"You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.”
In this reading “Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.”
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 And it was--in a devastating manner!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it was--in a devastating manner!
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
a garment of cloth or leather or plastic that is tied about the waist and worn to protect your clothing
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
brought into existence
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
a youthful male person
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading Naturally the event had to be celebrated.
making light of
From this reading And it was--in a devastating manner!
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Naturally the event had to be celebrated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Naturally the event had to be celebrated.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And it was--in a devastating manner!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it was--in a devastating manner!
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And it was--in a devastating manner!
position 1,000,000 in a countable series of things
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
as might be expected
From this reading Naturally the event had to be celebrated.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
one part in a quadrillion equal parts
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was the millionth quadrillionth baby to be born on Earth.
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading Ginny stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on the hem of her apron.
uttering a loud inarticulate cry as of pain or excitement
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You shouldn't upset the boy by yelling at him, Lester," she said.
Chapter 1 of Blessed Event by Henry Farrell holds 601 sentences, grouped into 121 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 601 sentences of Blessed Event, unabridged, divided into 121 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Blessed Event by Henry Farrell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 601 sentences, grouped into 121 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 121 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 121 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 Blessed Event by Henry Farrell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1179 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66244 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66244, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 98 minutes of reading across 236 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blessed Event section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Blessed Event 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 Blessed Event, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
