Chapter 1 of Half Portions is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Half Portions is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster. "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young." That, to the world, was Sophy Decker. Unmarried, certainly. And most certainly no longer young.
Chapter 1 of Half Portions is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
in a bald manner
From this reading “"An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."”
make up
From this reading “Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.”
English dramatist and pamphleteer (1572-1632)
From this reading “That, to the world, was Sophy Decker.”
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
From this reading “Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.”
give a description of
From this reading “Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.”
a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
From this reading “Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.”
an elderly unmarried woman
From this reading “Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.”
not married or related to the unmarried state
From this reading “"An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."”
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 Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And most certainly no longer young.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
in a bald manner
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Unmarried, certainly.
make up
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
English dramatist and pamphleteer (1572-1632)
From this reading That, to the world, was Sophy Decker.
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
give a description of
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
for more time
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
used to form the superlative
From this reading And most certainly no longer young.
not any; not one
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
an elderly unmarried woman
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
not married or related to the unmarried state
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That, to the world, was Sophy Decker.
at the time that
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading That, to the world, was Sophy Decker.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Called upon to describe Aunt Sophy you would have to coin a term or fall back on the dictionary definition of a spinster.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "An unmarried woman," states that worthy work, baldly, "especially when no longer young."
Chapter 1 of Half Portions by Edna Ferber holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Half Portions, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Half Portions by Edna Ferber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Half Portions by Edna Ferber on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5692 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14714 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14714, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 474 minutes of reading across 1139 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Half Portions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Half Portions 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 Half Portions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
