Chapter 1 of Cicely is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cicely is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CICELY. A STORY OF THREE YEARS. IN THREE VOLUMES. AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC. ETC.
Chapter 1 of Cicely is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “A STORY OF THREE YEARS.”
plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “A STORY OF THREE YEARS.”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “IN THREE VOLUMES.”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.”
a late time of life
From this reading “A STORY OF THREE YEARS.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.”
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.
In this reading “A STORY OF THREE YEARS.”
In this reading “IN THREE VOLUMES.”
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 STORY OF THREE YEARS.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CICELY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THREE VOLUMES.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A STORY OF THREE YEARS.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A STORY OF THREE YEARS.
plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading A STORY OF THREE YEARS.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading IN THREE VOLUMES.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
a late time of life
From this reading A STORY OF THREE YEARS.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading AUTHOR OF “SHE WAS YOUNG AND HE WAS OLD,” “NOT WITHOUT THORNS,” ETC.
Chapter 1 of Cicely by Mrs. Molesworth holds 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 321 sentences of Cicely, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cicely by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Cicely by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8830 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1766 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cicely section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Cicely 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 Cicely, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
