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.
"Impossible, sir," said Gluck. "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman. "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day. They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!" He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
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 37/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 181–185
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.
German composer of more than 100 operas (1714-1787)
From this reading “"Impossible, sir," said Gluck.”
possessive form of “gluck” — German composer of more than 100 operas (1714-1787)
From this reading “He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.”
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading “"I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.”
a joint of a finger when the fist is closed
From this reading “They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"”
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading “He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.”
changed from a solid to a liquid state
From this reading “He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “"I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.”
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 They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
without stop or interruption
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
take in solid food
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
a man of refinement
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
German composer of more than 100 operas (1714-1787)
From this reading "Impossible, sir," said Gluck.
possessive form of “gluck” — German composer of more than 100 operas (1714-1787)
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "Impossible, sir," said Gluck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
a joint of a finger when the fist is closed
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
changed from a solid to a liquid state
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Impossible, sir," said Gluck.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Impossible, sir," said Gluck.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They surely couldn't miss a bit from the knuckle!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading He spoke in so very melancholy a tone, that it quite melted Gluck's heart.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I'm very hungry," continued the old gentleman.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "I've had nothing to eat yesterday, nor to-day.
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.
