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Dear Enemy
Dear Enemy

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Dear Enemy is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 1 of Dear Enemy by Jean Webster holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 1 of Dear Enemy contain?

Chapter 1 holds 187 sentences of Dear Enemy, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Dear Enemy by Jean Webster exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Dear Enemy?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Dear Enemy

Common questions about reading Dear Enemy by Jean Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dear Enemy?

Yes. All 4150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dear Enemy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #238, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dear Enemy take to read?

About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dear Enemy section by section

How to work through Dear Enemy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of Dear Enemy to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Dear Enemy

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dear Enemy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

December
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dear Enemy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dear Enemy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dear Enemy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Amazement
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dear Enemy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for Dear Enemy
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
December 27.
Your letter is here.
I have read it twice, and with amazement.
Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?
Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Dear Enemy

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Dear Enemy is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
December 27.
Line 2
Your letter is here.
Line 3
I have read it twice, and with amazement.
Line 4
Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?
Line 5
Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!
All words in this reading · 46

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

27

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading December 27.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

amazement

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

an

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

asylum

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!

chosen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

Christmas

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

December

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading December 27.

disburse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

Do

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

given

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

Grier

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

has

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

have

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

head

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!

here

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Your letter is here.

Home

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

institution

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

into

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

is

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Your letter is here.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

Jervis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

John

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

letter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Your letter is here.

making

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

McBride

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!

me

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

model

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

money

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

orphan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!

over

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

present

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

read

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

Sallie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Me--I, Sallie McBride, the head of an orphan asylum!

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

twice

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

understand

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have read it twice, and with amazement.

you

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Do I understand that Jervis has given you, for a Christmas present, the making over of the John Grier Home into a model institution, and that you have chosen me to disburse the money?

Your

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Your letter is here.