VELMORA ACADEMY

Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies

Menu Close

Five Children and It

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Five Children and It is here in full — 1401 sentences across 281 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By E. Nesbit • Curated US English Learning Edition

Wishes are strange things; they have a way of coming true when you least expect it.

Cover illustration for Five Children and It

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

'How white the house is,' said Robert.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/280

Five Children and It E. Nesbit

Cover illustration for Five Children and It

Chapter I

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Five Children and It is here in full — 1401 sentences across 281 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?' And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?' But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit. And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!' 'How white the house is,' said Robert.

Five Children and It

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Five Children and It is here in full — 1401 sentences across 281 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/280 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

Line 2

And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

Line 3

But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

Line 4

And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

Line 5

'How white the house is,' said Robert.

All words in this reading · 76

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.

a

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

all

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

along

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

an

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

and

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

are

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

Aren't

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

AS

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

BEAUTIFUL

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

before

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

began

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

beyond

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

but

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

carriage

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

chalk-quarry

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

children

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

come

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

DAY

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

dusty

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

every

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

five

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

fly

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

for

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

from

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

garden

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

gravel-pit

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

green

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

had

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

heads

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

Here

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

hill

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

hired

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

house

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

How

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

From this reading 'How white the house is,' said Robert.

is

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

it

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

just

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

miles

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

minutes

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

mother

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

nearly

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

never

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

not

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

of

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

often

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

Oh

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

orchard

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

out

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

passed

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

past

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

put

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

rattled

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

reached

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

Robert

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

From this reading 'How white the house is,' said Robert.

said

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

say

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

station

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

THE

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

their

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

then

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

there

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

they

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

THIS

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

three

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

till

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

time

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

to

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

top

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

very

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

was

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

we

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

which

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

From this reading And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, 'Oh, is THIS it?'

white

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

window

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

From this reading BEAUTIFUL AS THE DAY The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, 'Aren't we nearly there?'

with

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

From this reading And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, 'Here we are!'

you

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

From this reading But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit.

Chapter Quiz

Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.

What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Chapter I: Beautiful as the Day?

Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?

According to the text: "The house was about three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattl...", what tone does the author establish?

Shadowing Practice

Repeat the selected source lines aloud to practice rhythm, stress, and clear US English pronunciation.

Narrator: The house was about three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their he

Narrator: They began to dig caves in the sand, and Cyril said: Let us dig right down to Australia and see if the people there really walk with their heads downw

Chapter 1 of Five Children and It by E. Nesbit holds 1401 sentences, grouped into 281 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Five Children and It contain?

Chapter 1 holds 1401 sentences of Five Children and It, unabridged, divided into 281 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Five Children and It by E. Nesbit exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1401 sentences, grouped into 281 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 Five Children and It?

Work through the 281 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 281 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 Five Children and It

Common questions about reading Five Children and It by E. Nesbit on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Five Children and It?

Yes. All 3328 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #778 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Five Children and It is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #778, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Five Children and It take to read?

About 277 minutes of reading across 666 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Five Children and It section by section

How to work through Five Children and It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 3 chapters of Five Children and It to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Five Children and It

Words and structures a reader meets early in Five Children and It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Beautiful: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Children and It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
House: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Children and It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Children and It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Miles: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Five Children and It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.