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Christian's Mistake
Christian's Mistake

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Christian's Mistake is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Christian's Mistake
Context Illustration Reading 28/55 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.
"And to think that his mother never saw him.
Poor thing! poor thing!"
Dr. Grey turned away to the window.
What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!
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.

Christian's Mistake

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Christian's Mistake is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 28/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 136–140

Line 1
"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.
Line 2
"And to think that his mother never saw him.
/ənd tuː θɪŋk ðæt hɪz ˈmʌðər ˈnevər sɔː hɪm/
Line 3
Poor thing! poor thing!"
/puːr θɪŋ puːr θɪŋ/
Line 4
Dr. Grey turned away to the window.
Line 5
What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

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.

bonny adjective US /ˈbɑːni/

very pleasing to the eye

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

crown noun US /kraʊn/

the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

curl verb US /kɜːrl/

form a curl, curve, or kink

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

extended adjective US /ɪkˈstendəd/

relatively long in duration; tediously protracted

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

kissing noun US /ˈkɪsɪŋ/

affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

Oliver noun US /ˈɑːləvər/

United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

proudly adverb US /ˈpraʊdli/

with pride; in a proud manner

From this reading “"My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.”

remembrances noun US /rɪˈmembrənsɪz/

plural of “remembrance” — the ability to recall past occurrences

From this reading “What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Dr. Grey turned away to the window.

billowyadjective

characterized by great swelling waves or surges

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

bitteradjectiveUS /ˈbɪtər/

marked by strong resentment or cynicism

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

bonnyadjectiveUS /ˈbɑːni/

very pleasing to the eye

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

brownounUS /braʊ/

the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

crownnounUS /kraʊn/

the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

curlverbUS /kɜːrl/

form a curl, curve, or kink

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

Dr

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

From this reading Dr. Grey turned away to the window.

extendedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈstendəd/

relatively long in duration; tediously protracted

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

GreyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading Dr. Grey turned away to the window.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

HeavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "And to think that his mother never saw him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "And to think that his mother never saw him.

immediatelyadverbUS /ˌɪˈmiːdiːətli/

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

kissingnounUS /ˈkɪsɪŋ/

affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

knowsnounUS /noʊz/

plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading "And to think that his mother never saw him.

murmuredverbUS /ˈmɜːrmərd/

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading "And to think that his mother never saw him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

OlivernounUS /ˈɑːləvər/

United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

PooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading Poor thing! poor thing!"

proudlyadverbUS /ˈpraʊdli/

with pride; in a proud manner

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

remembrancesnounUS /rɪˈmembrənsɪz/

plural of “remembrance” — the ability to recall past occurrences

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading "And to think that his mother never saw him.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading Poor thing! poor thing!"

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "And to think that his mother never saw him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

topnounUS /tɑːp/

the upper part of anything

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading Dr. Grey turned away to the window.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "My bonny boy!" she murmured, kissing the top of that billowy curl which extended from brow to crown--"my curl"--for Oliver immediately and proudly pointed it to her.

widower's

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

From this reading What remembrances, bitter or sweet, came over the widower's heart, Heaven knows!

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Dr. Grey turned away to the window.

Chapter 1 of Christian's Mistake by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik holds 279 sentences, grouped into 56 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 Christian's Mistake contain?

Chapter 1 holds 279 sentences of Christian's Mistake, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Christian's Mistake by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 279 sentences, grouped into 56 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 Christian's Mistake?

Work through the 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 56 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 Christian's Mistake

Common questions about reading Christian's Mistake by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Christian's Mistake?

Yes. All 3238 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14687 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Christian's Mistake is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #14687, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Christian's Mistake take to read?

About 269 minutes of reading across 648 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Christian's Mistake section by section

How to work through Christian's Mistake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of Christian's Mistake 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 Christian's Mistake

Words and structures a reader meets early in Christian's Mistake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Robin
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christian's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Think
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christian's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Listen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christian's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mysterious
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christian's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.