Chapter 1 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I see the star!" They whispered one to another, "He is dying." And he said, "I am. My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child. And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
Chapter 1 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 21/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105
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.
look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading “And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “They whispered one to another, "He is dying."”
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading “My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.”
an article of clothing
From this reading “My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.”
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"”
get something; come into possession of
From this reading “And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"”
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “"I see the star!"”
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 My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
how long something has existed
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading And he said, "I am.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he said, "I am.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
a young person of either sex
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
dearly loved
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
an article of clothing
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I see the star!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
many times at short intervals
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
get something; come into possession of
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And he said, "I am.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see the star!"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading "I see the star!"
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I see the star!"
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
in the direction of
From this reading My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading They whispered one to another, "He is dying."
which person or people
From this reading And O, my Father, now I thank Thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!"
Chapter 1 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Famous Stories Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3963 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16247 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16247, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 793 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Famous Stories Every Child Should Know section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Famous Stories Every Child Should Know 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 Famous Stories Every Child Should Know, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
