Chapter 1 of Emily Fox-Seton is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Emily Fox-Seton is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There they began to play tennis. Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow. The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive. "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst. "She will spoil the court."
Chapter 1 of Emily Fox-Seton is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 69/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 341–345
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.
English lyric poet (1887-1915)
From this reading “Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.”
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.”
plural of “petticoat” — undergarment worn under a skirt
From this reading “The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.”
used of milk and milk products from which the cream has been removed
From this reading “Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.”
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading “"She will spoil the court."”
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.”
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.”
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court
From this reading “There they began to play tennis.”
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 Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading There they began to play tennis.
English lyric poet (1887-1915)
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading "She will spoil the court."
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
a young female
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
plural of “petticoat” — undergarment worn under a skirt
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
participate in games or sport
From this reading There they began to play tennis.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She will spoil the court."
a particular situation
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
used of milk and milk products from which the cream has been removed
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading "She will spoil the court."
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Miss Brooke skimmed and darted about like a swallow.
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court
From this reading There they began to play tennis.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There they began to play tennis.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There they began to play tennis.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There they began to play tennis.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The swirl of her lace petticoats was most attractive.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "She will spoil the court."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "That girl ought not to play tennis in shoes with ridiculous heels," remarked Lord Walderhurst.
Chapter 1 of Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Emily Fox-Seton, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17226 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17226, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1044 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Emily Fox-Seton section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Emily Fox-Seton 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 Emily Fox-Seton, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
