Chapter 1 of Clematis is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Clematis is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring. A warm sun shone down upon the city street. On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting. Her gingham dress was old and shabby. The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
Chapter 1 of Clematis is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading “On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.”
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading “The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.”
a clothing fabric in a plaid weave
From this reading “Her gingham dress was old and shabby.”
to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading “The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.”
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading “The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “Her gingham dress was old and shabby.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “A warm sun shone down upon the city street.”
walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway
From this reading “On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.”
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 “The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.”
a youthful female person
In this reading “On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.”
In this reading “A warm sun shone down upon the city street.”
In this reading “On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.”
In this reading “LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.”
In this reading “A warm sun shone down upon the city street.”
In this reading “A warm sun shone down upon the city street.”
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 warm sun shone down upon the city street.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her gingham dress was old and shabby.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A warm sun shone down upon the city street.
put on clothes
From this reading Her gingham dress was old and shabby.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
a clothing fabric in a plaid weave
From this reading Her gingham dress was old and shabby.
a young female
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her gingham dress was old and shabby.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Her gingham dress was old and shabby.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading Her gingham dress was old and shabby.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading A warm sun shone down upon the city street.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting.
the season of growth
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading A warm sun shone down upon the city street.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading A warm sun shone down upon the city street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The short, brown coat had lost all its buttons, and a rusty pin held it together.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A warm sun shone down upon the city street.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading A warm sun shone down upon the city street.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading LOST IN THE BIG CITY It was early Spring.
Chapter 1 of Clematis by Bertha B. (Bertha Browning) Cobb holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 161 sentences of Clematis, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Clematis by Bertha B. (Bertha Browning) Cobb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Clematis by Bertha B. (Bertha Browning) Cobb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2376 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26543 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26543, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 476 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clematis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Clematis 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 Clematis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
