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.
Flora said she worshipped her children. And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband. At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone. Her admirers had found it irresistible. At forty it was awful.
Chapter 1 of Half Portions is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 40/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 196–200
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.
compulsively or physiologically dependent on something habit-forming
From this reading “At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.”
plural of “admirer” — a person who backs a politician or a team etc.
From this reading “Her admirers had found it irresistible.”
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading “At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.”
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading “Flora said she worshipped her children.”
to a considerable degree
From this reading “And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.”
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading “Her admirers had found it irresistible.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.”
regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)
From this reading “Flora said she worshipped her children.”
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.
in actual fact
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
compulsively or physiologically dependent on something habit-forming
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
plural of “admirer” — a person who backs a politician or a team etc.
From this reading Her admirers had found it irresistible.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading At forty it was awful.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Flora said she worshipped her children.
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading Flora said she worshipped her children.
being ten more than thirty
From this reading At forty it was awful.
set up or found
From this reading Her admirers had found it irresistible.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
to a considerable degree
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Flora said she worshipped her children.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading Her admirers had found it irresistible.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her admirers had found it irresistible.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Flora said she worshipped her children.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Flora said she worshipped her children.
a person, without saying who
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
not in physical motion
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At forty it was awful.
at the time that
From this reading At twenty she had been addicted to baby talk when endeavouring to coax something out of someone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And she actually sometimes still coquetted heavily with her husband.
regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)
From this reading Flora said she worshipped her children.
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.
