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Fil and Filippa
Fil and Filippa

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Fil and Filippa is here in full — 30 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John Stuart Thomson • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Fil and Filippa
Context Illustration Reading 1/6 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.
Set up and electrotyped.
Published September, 1917.
It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.
In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Fil and Filippa

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Fil and Filippa is here in full — 30 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.
Line 2
Set up and electrotyped.
Line 3
Published September, 1917.
Line 4
It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.
/ɪt tʊk miː ˈoʊvər ə mʌnθ ənd ə hæf tuː riːtʃ ðə ˈsʌmər ˈaɪləndz ðæt aɪ sɔːt/
Line 5
In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Bamboo noun US /bæmˈbuː/

the hard woody stems of bamboo plants; used in construction and crafts and fishing poles

From this reading “Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bluest adjective US /ˈbluːəst/

superlative of “blue” — of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Canal noun US /kəˈnæl/

(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion

From this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Panama noun US /ˈpænəmɑː/

a republic on the Isthmus of Panama; achieved independence from Colombia in 1903

From this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Philippines noun US /ˈfɪləpiːnz/

a republic on the Philippine Islands; achieved independence from the United States in 1946

From this reading “Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Revolutionized verb US /ˌrevəˈluːʃənaɪzd/

past form of “revolutionize” — change radically

From this reading “Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
widest adjective US /ˈwaɪdəst/

superlative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
world's noun US /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

three weeks noun + noun counted as “three week”

In this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

13,168 times in 225,867 chapters
four weeks noun + noun counted as “four week”

In this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

2,105 times in 225,867 chapters
bluest ocean adjective + noun counted as “blue ocean”

In this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

238 times in 225,867 chapters
Set up verb + adjective

set up or found

In this reading “Set up and electrotyped.”

20,893 times in 225,867 chapters
most peaceful adverb + adjective

In this reading “In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.”

200 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 55

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.

1917

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Published September, 1917.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BamboonounUS /bæmˈbuː/

the hard woody stems of bamboo plants; used in construction and crafts and fishing poles

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bluestadjectiveUS /ˈbluːəst/

superlative of “blue” — of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BudnounUS /bʌd/

a partially opened flower

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CanalnounUS /kəˈnæl/

(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChildnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChinanounUS /ˈtʃaɪnə/

a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/

any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crossedadjectiveUS /krɔːst/

placed crosswise

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
electrotyped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Set up and electrotyped.

Pending verification
Etc

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

Pending verification
fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Francisco

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

Pending verification
goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
islandsnounUS /ˈaɪləndz/

plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oceannounUS /ˈoʊʃən/

a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PacificnounUS /pəˈsɪfɪk/

the largest ocean in the world

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PanamanounUS /ˈpænəmɑː/

a republic on the Isthmus of Panama; achieved independence from Colombia in 1903

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peacefuladjectiveUS /ˈpiːsfəl/

not disturbed by strife or turmoil or war

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PhilippinesnounUS /ˈfɪləpiːnz/

a republic on the Philippine Islands; achieved independence from the United States in 1946

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PublishedadjectiveUS /ˈpʌblɪʃt/

prepared and printed for distribution and sale

From this reading Published September, 1917.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reachverbUS /riːtʃ/

reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RevolutionizedverbUS /ˌrevəˈluːʃənaɪzd/

past form of “revolutionize” — change radically

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
San

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

Pending verification
SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading Published September, 1917.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SetverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Set up and electrotyped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soughtadjectiveUS /sɔːt/

that is looked for

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StorynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
summernounUS /ˈsʌmər/

the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Story of Child Life in the Philippines Author of "China Revolutionized" "The Chinese" "Bud and Bamboo" Etc.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading It took me over a month and a half to reach the summer islands that I sought.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Set up and electrotyped.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
weeksnounUS /wiːks/

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
widestadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪdəst/

superlative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
world'snounUS /wɜːrldz/

possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere

From this reading In three weeks I had gone through the Panama Canal and had reached San Francisco, and in four weeks more I had crossed the world's widest, most peaceful, and bluest ocean, the Pacific.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of Fil and Filippa by John Stuart Thomson holds 30 sentences, grouped into 6 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.

What does chapter 1 of Fil and Filippa contain?

Chapter 1 holds 30 sentences of Fil and Filippa, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Fil and Filippa by John Stuart Thomson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 30 sentences, grouped into 6 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Fil and Filippa?

Work through the 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 6 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Fil and Filippa

Common questions about reading Fil and Filippa by John Stuart Thomson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Fil and Filippa?

Yes. All 872 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Fil and Filippa is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #26414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Fil and Filippa take to read?

About 72 minutes of reading across 175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Fil and Filippa section by section

How to work through Fil and Filippa section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of Fil and Filippa to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Fil and Filippa

Words and structures a reader meets early in Fil and Filippa, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fil and Filippa; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Child
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fil and Filippa; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Philippines
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fil and Filippa; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fil and Filippa; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.