Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BLACKBIRDS' NEST. BY MARY CECIL HAY. "Put it back, Jim. Do put it back." "Why?"
Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
THE
BLACKBIRDS'
NEST.
BY
MARY
CECIL
HAY.
"Put
it
back,
Jim.
Do
put
it
back."
"Why?"
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
THE
BLACKBIRDS'
NEST.
/ðə ˈblækbərdz nest/
Line 2
BY
MARY
CECIL
HAY.
Line 3
"Put
it
back,
Jim.
Line 4
Do
put
it
back."
/duː pʊt ɪt bæk/
Line 5
"Why?"
/waɪ/
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.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “"Put it back, Jim.”
blackbirds
noun
US /ˈblækbərdz/
plural of “blackbird” — any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black
From this reading “THE BLACKBIRDS' NEST.”
hay
noun
US /heɪ/
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading “BY MARY CECIL HAY.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “BY MARY CECIL HAY.”
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “THE BLACKBIRDS' NEST.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “"Put it back, Jim.”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 13
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 or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Put it back, Jim.
BLACKBIRDSnounUS /ˈblækbərdz/
plural of “blackbird” — any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black
From this reading THE BLACKBIRDS' NEST.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY MARY CECIL HAY.
CECIL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY MARY CECIL HAY.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do put it back."
HAYnounUS /heɪ/
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading BY MARY CECIL HAY.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Put it back, Jim.
Jim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Put it back, Jim.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading BY MARY CECIL HAY.
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading THE BLACKBIRDS' NEST.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Put it back, Jim.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BLACKBIRDS' NEST.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?"
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 by Various holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 contain?
Chapter 1 holds 171 sentences of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881?
Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881
Common questions about reading Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881?
Yes. All 991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45196 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #45196, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 take to read?
About 82 minutes of reading across 199 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 section by section
How to work through Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881 to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881
Words and structures a reader meets early in Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Blackbirds'
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Cecil
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Whispered
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Startled
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, April 5, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.