Chapter 1 of Green Doors is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Green Doors is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Hello! What’s up with you?” Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours. “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in? You aren’t—or are you—looking for a doctor?”
Chapter 1 of Green Doors is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an expression of greeting
From this reading ““Hello!”
any entry into an area not previously occupied
From this reading “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
win approval or support for
From this reading ““How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
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 “Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You aren’t—or are you—looking for a doctor?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You aren’t—or are you—looking for a doctor?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You aren’t—or are you—looking for a doctor?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello!
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
any entry into an area not previously occupied
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading You aren’t—or are you—looking for a doctor?”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading You aren’t—or are you—looking for a doctor?”
win approval or support for
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “How did you persuade Miss Frazier to bring you in?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading What’s up with you?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Doctor Lewis Pryne was obviously surprised at the intrusion of a mere friend on office hours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What’s up with you?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading What’s up with you?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What’s up with you?”
Chapter 1 of Green Doors by Ethel Cook Eliot holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of Green Doors, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Green Doors by Ethel Cook Eliot exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Green Doors by Ethel Cook Eliot on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6590 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52531, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 549 minutes of reading across 1318 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Green Doors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Green Doors 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 Green Doors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
