Different Girls

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Different Girls is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Dean [Editor] Howells • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

And Mabel must cry--good and hard.

Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

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Chapter I Reading 68/81

Different Girls

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Different Girls is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 68/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 336–340

Line 1

Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

Line 2

And Mabel must cry--good and hard.

Line 3

Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

Line 4

Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

Line 5

For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

Learner Dictionary

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.

bent noun US /bent/

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading “For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.”

crazy adjective US /ˈkreɪzi/

affected with madness or insanity

From this reading “Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.”

hang verb US /hæŋ/

be suspended or hanging

From this reading “Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.”

pick verb US /pɪk/

select carefully from a group

From this reading “Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.”

precious adjective US /ˈpreʃəs/

characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

From this reading “Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."”

saved adjective US /seɪvd/

rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin

From this reading “Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."”

shut verb US /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading “Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.”

stared verb US /sterd/

past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading “For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

stared hard verb + adjective counted as “stare hard”

In this reading “For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.”

little sister adjective + noun

a younger sister

In this reading “Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."”

hang down verb + adjective

In this reading “Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.”

for a minute preposition + article + noun counted as “for … minute”

In this reading “For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.”

send for verb + particle

order, request, or command to come

In this reading “Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

bentnounUS /bent/

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

carryverbUS /ˈkæri/

move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

crazyadjectiveUS /ˈkreɪzi/

affected with madness or insanity

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading And Mabel must cry--good and hard.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading And Mabel must cry--good and hard.

hangverbUS /hæŋ/

be suspended or hanging

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

hardadjectiveUS /hɑːrd/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading And Mabel must cry--good and hard.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

how

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

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

I'll

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

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

Josephine

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

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

Kittie

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

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

Kittie's

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

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

laughnounUS /læf/

the sound of laughing

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

Mabel

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

From this reading And Mabel must cry--good and hard.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

minutenounUS /ˈmɪnət/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

pickverbUS /pɪk/

select carefully from a group

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

preciousadjectiveUS /ˈpreʃəs/

characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

savedadjectiveUS /seɪvd/

rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

sendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

staredverbUS /sterd/

past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

sureadjectiveUS /ʃʊr/

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading For he bent and stared hard into Kittie's eyes for a minute, and then he began to laugh, and he laughed till he cried.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Mabel said she was sure that Kittie was crazy, and next she thought George was crazy, too.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Then you must pick me up and carry me, and I'll shut my eyes and let my head hang down.

you've

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

From this reading Then you must send for Josephine and let her see how you've saved the life of her precious little sister."

Chapter 1 of Different Girls by William Dean [Editor] Howells holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 1 of Different Girls contain?

Chapter 1 holds 408 sentences of Different Girls, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Different Girls by William Dean [Editor] Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 Different Girls?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 Different Girls

Common questions about reading Different Girls by William Dean [Editor] Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Different Girls?

Yes. All 3291 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14744 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Different Girls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #14744, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Different Girls take to read?

About 274 minutes of reading across 659 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in Different Girls

Words and structures a reader meets early in Different Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Years: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Different Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Since: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Different Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
American: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Different Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Began: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Different Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

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