Chapter 1 of Donald and Dorothy is here in full — 18 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Donald and Dorothy is here in full — 18 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DE VINNE PRESS. The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen. He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted. Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight. Somebody surely was approaching the door.
Chapter 1 of Donald and Dorothy is here in full — 18 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 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.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading “Somebody surely was approaching the door.”
aroused to action
From this reading “He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.”
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.”
a circular rounded projection or protuberance
From this reading “He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.”
Roman Emperor notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (was said to have started a fire that destroyed much of Rome in 64) but the Roman Empire remained prosperous during his rule (37-68)
From this reading “The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “THE DE VINNE PRESS.”
in a wistful manner
From this reading “He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.”
a sharp high-pitched cry (especially by a dog)
From this reading “Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight.”
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 Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading Somebody surely was approaching the door.
aroused to action
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a circular rounded projection or protuberance
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
Roman Emperor notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (was said to have started a fire that destroyed much of Rome in 64) but the Roman Empire remained prosperous during his rule (37-68)
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
and nothing more
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
the act of puncturing with a small point
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Somebody surely was approaching the door.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Somebody surely was approaching the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DE VINNE PRESS.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door of the study was closed, and only Nero was to be seen.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
in a wistful manner
From this reading He, poor dog, stood in the wide hall gazing wistfully at the knob, and pricking up his ears whenever sounds of movement in the room aroused his hope of being admitted.
a sharp high-pitched cry (especially by a dog)
From this reading Suddenly he gave a yelp of delight.
Chapter 1 of Donald and Dorothy by Mary Mapes Dodge holds 18 sentences, grouped into 4 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 18 sentences of Donald and Dorothy, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Donald and Dorothy by Mary Mapes Dodge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 18 sentences, grouped into 4 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 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 4 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 Donald and Dorothy by Mary Mapes Dodge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4719 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28856 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28856, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 393 minutes of reading across 944 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Donald and Dorothy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Donald and Dorothy 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 Donald and Dorothy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
