Chapter 1 of Cobwebs to catch flies is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cobwebs to catch flies is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY. BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET. ADVERTISEMENT. The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
Chapter 1 of Cobwebs to catch flies is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 public promotion of some product or service
From this reading “ADVERTISEMENT.”
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
From this reading “NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.”
plural of “cobweb” — a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider
From this reading “Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES”
-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.”
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading “Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES”
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES”
an affix that is added in front of the word
From this reading “The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
a public promotion of some product or service
From this reading ADVERTISEMENT.
having the benefit of careful prior consideration or counsel
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET.
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
plural of “cobweb” — a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan)
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
past form of “display” — to show, make visible or apparent
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
-ing form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET.
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
an affix that is added in front of the word
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET.
the words of something written
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Italic text displayed as: _italic_ COBWEBS TO CATCH FLIES
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading BOSTON: J. H. FRANCIS, 128 WASHINGTON STREET.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading The writer of these volumes was advised by a friend to prefix an Advertisement to them, explaining their design.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading NEW YORK: C. S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY.
Chapter 1 of Cobwebs to catch flies by Mrs. Lovechild holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of Cobwebs to catch flies, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cobwebs to catch flies by Mrs. Lovechild exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Cobwebs to catch flies by Mrs. Lovechild on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 815 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71792 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71792, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 67 minutes of reading across 163 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cobwebs to catch flies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Cobwebs to catch flies 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 Cobwebs to catch flies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
