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Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls
Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MAKING FRIENDS.
"Good onset bodes good end."
SPENSER.
"Well?" said Ralph.
"Well?" said Sylvia.
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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.

Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MAKING FRIENDS.
/ˈmeɪkɪŋ frendz/
Line 2
"Good onset bodes good end."
/ɡʊd ˈɑːnset boʊdz ɡʊd end/
Line 3
SPENSER.
/ˈspensər/
Line 4
"Well?" said Ralph.
Line 5
"Well?" said Sylvia.

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.

bodes verb US /boʊdz/

third-person singular of “bode” — indicate, as with a sign or an omen

From this reading “"Good onset bodes good end."”

end noun US /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading “"Good onset bodes good end."”

friends noun US /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading “MAKING FRIENDS.”

good adjective US /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading “"Good onset bodes good end."”

making noun US /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading “MAKING FRIENDS.”

onset noun US /ˈɑːnset/

the beginning or early stages

From this reading “"Good onset bodes good end."”

spenser noun US /ˈspensər/

English poet who wrote an allegorical romance celebrating Elizabeth I in the Spenserian stanza (1552-1599)

From this reading “SPENSER.”

Well adverb US /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 “"Well?" said Ralph.”

All words in this reading · 11

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.

bodesverbUS /boʊdz/

third-person singular of “bode” — indicate, as with a sign or an omen

From this reading "Good onset bodes good end."

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading "Good onset bodes good end."

FRIENDSnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading MAKING FRIENDS.

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "Good onset bodes good end."

MAKINGnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading MAKING FRIENDS.

onsetnounUS /ˈɑːnset/

the beginning or early stages

From this reading "Good onset bodes good end."

Ralph

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

From this reading "Well?" said Ralph.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Well?" said Ralph.

SPENSERnounUS /ˈspensər/

English poet who wrote an allegorical romance celebrating Elizabeth I in the Spenserian stanza (1552-1599)

From this reading SPENSER.

Sylvia

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

From this reading "Well?" said Sylvia.

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 "Well?" said Ralph.

Chapter 1 of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls by Mrs. Molesworth holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls contain?

Chapter 1 holds 194 sentences of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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 Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls

Common questions about reading Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls?

Yes. All 3041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20963 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #20963, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls take to read?

About 253 minutes of reading across 609 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls section by section

How to work through Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls 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 Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls

Words and structures a reader meets early in Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Making
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Friends
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Onset
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bodes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.