Chapter 1 of Cornelli is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cornelli is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, perhaps. But what are you writing, Martha? I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned. “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can. It is a long time since I have written anything.”
Chapter 1 of Cornelli is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 39/54 · 5 reading units · Lines 191–195
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 young person of either sex
From this reading “I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.”
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading ““Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.”
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.”
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.”
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.”
produce a literary work
From this reading “I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “But what are you writing, Martha?”
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “It is a long time since I have written anything.””
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 It is a long time since I have written anything.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
any thing at all
From this reading It is a long time since I have written anything.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But what are you writing, Martha?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what are you writing, Martha?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
a young person of either sex
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It is a long time since I have written anything.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But what are you writing, Martha?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
by chance
From this reading “Yes, perhaps.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading It is a long time since I have written anything.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Writing is not easy for me,” answered Martha, “and you could do it so much better than I can.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It is a long time since I have written anything.”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what are you writing, Martha?
produce a literary work
From this reading I have never before seen you write,” said the child, full of interest, for her thoughts had been suddenly turned.
the act of creating written works
From this reading But what are you writing, Martha?
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading It is a long time since I have written anything.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, perhaps.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But what are you writing, Martha?
Chapter 1 of Cornelli by Johanna Spyri holds 271 sentences, grouped into 55 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 271 sentences of Cornelli, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cornelli by Johanna Spyri exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 271 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Cornelli by Johanna Spyri on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cornelli section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Cornelli 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 Cornelli, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
