Chapter 1 of Carl and the Cotton Gin is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Carl and the Cotton Gin is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Carl!" "Coming, Ma!" Mrs. McGregor waited a moment. "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully. "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
Chapter 1 of Carl and the Cotton Gin is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “"Coming, Ma!"”
a particular point in time
From this reading “Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “"You never seem to come when you're wanted.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “"But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “"You never seem to come when you're wanted.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “"You never seem to come when you're wanted.”
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 Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Carl!"
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Coming, Ma!"
in a fretful manner
From this reading "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Coming, Ma!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Mrs. McGregor waited a moment.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
at the time that
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But you aren't coming," protested she fretfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You never seem to come when you're wanted.
Chapter 1 of Carl and the Cotton Gin by Sara Ware Bassett holds 255 sentences, grouped into 51 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 255 sentences of Carl and the Cotton Gin, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Carl and the Cotton Gin by Sara Ware Bassett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 255 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Carl and the Cotton Gin by Sara Ware Bassett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4457 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23560 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23560, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 371 minutes of reading across 892 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Carl and the Cotton Gin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Carl and the Cotton Gin 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 Carl and the Cotton Gin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
