Chapter 1 of Cynthia Steps Out is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Cynthia Steps Out is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Made in U. S. A. “It must be fun to be an artist.” Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow. “Fun?” Cynthia frowned, thinking.
Chapter 1 of Cynthia Steps Out is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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 person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading ““It must be fun to be an artist.””
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading “Cynthia frowned, thinking.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Cynthia frowned, thinking.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading ““It must be fun to be an artist.””
made difficult or slow
From this reading “Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.”
the quantity that can be held in the mouth
From this reading “Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.”
plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
From this reading “Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.”
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Made in U. S. A.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading Cynthia frowned, thinking.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Cynthia frowned, thinking.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
made difficult or slow
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Made in U. S. A.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Made in U. S. A.
the quantity that can be held in the mouth
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Made in U. S. A.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Cynthia frowned, thinking.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It must be fun to be an artist.”
hard to endure
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading Made in U. S. A.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Stasia’s speech was somewhat impeded by the mouthful of pins she was trying not to swallow.
Chapter 1 of Cynthia Steps Out by Erick Berry holds 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 450 sentences of Cynthia Steps Out, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Cynthia Steps Out by Erick Berry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Cynthia Steps Out by Erick Berry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53197 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53197, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 271 minutes of reading across 651 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cynthia Steps Out section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Cynthia Steps Out 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 Cynthia Steps Out, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
