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.
"I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained. "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening. It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner. Nobody ever eats it but it has to be there." The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
Chapter 1 of Half Portions is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 35/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
United States author who was an outspoken critic of racism (1924-1987)
From this reading “The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.”
English dramatist and pamphleteer (1572-1632)
From this reading “"I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.”
informal terms for a meal
From this reading “Nobody ever eats it but it has to be there."”
Austrian general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession (1663-1736)
From this reading “The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.”
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading “"But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading “It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner.”
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading “The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.”
treasure of unknown ownership found hidden (usually in the earth)
From this reading “The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.”
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 "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
United States author who was an outspoken critic of racism (1924-1987)
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
English dramatist and pamphleteer (1572-1632)
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
informal terms for a meal
From this reading Nobody ever eats it but it has to be there."
a quad with a square body
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
Austrian general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession (1663-1736)
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
at any time
From this reading Nobody ever eats it but it has to be there."
every person
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
a social unit living together
From this reading It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner.
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
set up or found
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nobody ever eats it but it has to be there."
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's like a fruit centre-piece at a family dinner.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody ever eats it but it has to be there."
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
do one's shopping
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
the season of growth
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "But everybody feels there should be a hat like that at a spring opening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I don't expect 'em to buy it," Sophy Decker explained.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
treasure of unknown ownership found hidden (usually in the earth)
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two Baldwin children--Adele and Eugene--found Aunt Sophy's shop a treasure trove.
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.
