Chapter 1 of February Strawberries is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of February Strawberries is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass. "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly. Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking. "Not at all. Somebody who looks like him.
Chapter 1 of February Strawberries is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.”
cutlery used for serving and eating food
From this reading “_How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.”
to a massive degree or in a massive manner
From this reading “_How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.”
a building where people go to eat
From this reading “_How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.”
United States humorist remembered for his homespun commentary on politics and American society (1879-1935)
From this reading “"Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.”
United States golfer known for the graceful arc of his swing (1912-2002)
From this reading “"Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.”
in a stupid manner
From this reading “"Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.”
permitting the free passage of electromagnetic radiation
From this reading “_How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.”
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.
In this reading “Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.”
institute, enact, or establish
In this reading “_How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.”
In this reading “Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.”
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Not at all.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
next to; at the side of
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
cutlery used for serving and eating food
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Somebody who looks like him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Somebody who looks like him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
to a massive degree or in a massive manner
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
a building where people go to eat
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
United States humorist remembered for his homespun commentary on politics and American society (1879-1935)
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
express in words
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
United States golfer known for the graceful arc of his swing (1912-2002)
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Somebody who looks like him.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
in a stupid manner
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Isn't that Rogers Snead at that table?" he heard himself say stupidly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
permitting the free passage of electromagnetic radiation
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
which person or people
From this reading Somebody who looks like him.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Howell, the man across the table from him, looked embarrassed without looking.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading _How much is the impossible worth?_ Linton lay down his steel fork beside the massively solid transparency of the restaurant water glass.
Chapter 1 of February Strawberries by Jim Harmon holds 287 sentences, grouped into 58 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 287 sentences of February Strawberries, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of February Strawberries by Jim Harmon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 287 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 February Strawberries by Jim Harmon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60995 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60995, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 23 minutes of reading across 58 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through February Strawberries section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of February Strawberries 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 February Strawberries, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
