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First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories
First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories is here in full — 570 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/114 · 5 lines
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First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.
1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?
Eleven or twelve years?
More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.
If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories is here in full — 570 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/114 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.
/fɜːrst lʌv ənd ˈʌðər ˈfæsəneɪtɪŋ ˈstɔːriz ʌv ˈspænɪʃ laɪf ˈlɪtəl bluː bʊk noʊ/
Line 2
1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?
Line 3
Eleven or twelve years?
/ɪˈlevən ɔːr twelv jɪrz/
Line 4
More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.
Line 5
If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

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.

countries noun US /ˈkʌntriz/

plural of “country” — a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading “More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.”

Edited adjective US /ˈedətəd/

improved or corrected by critical editing

From this reading “1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?”

Fascinating adjective US /ˈfæsəneɪtɪŋ/

capable of arousing and holding the attention

From this reading “First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.”

matures verb US /məˈtʃʊrz/

third-person singular of “mature” — develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation

From this reading “More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.”

organ noun US /ˈɔːrɡən/

a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function

From this reading “More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.”

perturbations noun US /ˌpɜːrtərˈbeɪʃənz/

plural of “perturbation” — an unhappy and worried mental state

From this reading “More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.”

Southern adjective US /ˈsʌðərn/

in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading “More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.”

thirteen noun US /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading “More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

1195

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

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

blameverbUS /bleɪm/

put or pin the blame on

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

BLUEadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

BOOKnounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

consideringverbUS /kənˈsɪdərɪŋ/

-ing form of “consider” — deem to be

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

countriesnounUS /ˈkʌntriz/

plural of “country” — a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

EnounUS /iː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

EditedadjectiveUS /ˈedətəd/

improved or corrected by critical editing

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

ElevenadjectiveUS /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading Eleven or twelve years?

exactlyadverbUS /ɪɡˈzæktli/

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

FascinatingadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəneɪtɪŋ/

capable of arousing and holding the attention

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

Haldeman-Julius

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

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

How

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

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

LovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

maturesverbUS /məˈtʃʊrz/

third-person singular of “mature” — develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

MoreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

NOdeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Eleven or twelve years?

organnounUS /ˈɔːrɡən/

a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

OtheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

perturbationsnounUS /ˌpɜːrtərˈbeɪʃənz/

plural of “perturbation” — an unhappy and worried mental state

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

revealedverbUS /rɪˈviːld/

past form of “reveal” — make visible

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

seriouslyadverbUS /ˈsɪriəsli/

in a serious manner

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

SouthernadjectiveUS /ˈsʌðərn/

in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

SpanishnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

StoriesnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — 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 First Love And Other Fascinating Stories of Spanish Life LITTLE BLUE BOOK NO.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

thirteennounUS /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

twelvenounUS /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading Eleven or twelve years?

venturenounUS /ˈventʃər/

any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading 1195 Edited by E. Haldeman-Julius How old was I then?

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading If I do not remember well _when_, I can at least say exactly _how_ my first love revealed itself.

won't

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

From this reading More probably thirteen, for before then is too early to be seriously in love; but I won't venture to be certain, considering that in Southern countries the heart matures early, if that organ is to blame for such perturbations.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Eleven or twelve years?

Chapter 1 of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories by E. (Emanuel) [Editor] Haldeman-Julius holds 570 sentences, grouped into 114 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 First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories contain?

Chapter 1 holds 570 sentences of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories by E. (Emanuel) [Editor] Haldeman-Julius exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 570 sentences, grouped into 114 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 First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories?

Work through the 114 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 114 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 First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories

Common questions about reading First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories by E. (Emanuel) [Editor] Haldeman-Julius on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories?

Yes. All 570 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15610 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #15610, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories take to read?

About 47 minutes of reading across 114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories section by section

How to work through First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Other
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fascinating
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stories
A word that appears in the opening chapter of First Love, and Other Fascinating Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.