Chapter 1 of Dogtown is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Dogtown is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC. Set up and electrotyped October, 1902. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A. “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
Chapter 1 of Dogtown is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading ““Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.”
move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position
From this reading ““Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.”
United States neurologist noted for his study of the brain and pituitary gland and who identified Cushing's syndrome (1869-1939)
From this reading “Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.”
an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about
From this reading ““Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.”
plural of “tongue” — a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading ““Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.”
United States writer of detective novels (1888-1939)
From this reading “BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.”
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.
set up or found
In this reading “Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.”
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 Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading U.S.A.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
United States neurologist noted for his study of the brain and pituitary gland and who identified Cushing's syndrome (1869-1939)
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
softened by the addition of cushions or padding
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
the state of being friends (or friendly)
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
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 Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
moving very fast
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
plural of “tongue” — a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading U.S.A.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Set up and electrotyped October, 1902.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle, Such queer little hearts to beat; Such swift, round tongues to kiss, Such sprawling, cushiony feet.
United States writer of detective novels (1888-1939)
From this reading BY MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT AUTHOR OF “TOMMY-ANNE,” “THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE” “BIRDCRAFT,” ETC.
Chapter 1 of Dogtown by Mabel Osgood Wright holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of Dogtown, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Dogtown by Mabel Osgood Wright exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Dogtown by Mabel Osgood Wright on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2353 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 196 minutes of reading across 471 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dogtown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Dogtown 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 Dogtown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
