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Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879
Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 is here in full — 537 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Various • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879
Context Illustration Reading 1/107 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.
BY MRS.
W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."
Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.
The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 is here in full — 537 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/107 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.
/wʌn tʌtʃ ʌv ˈneɪtʃər/
Line 2
BY MRS.
/baɪ ˈmɪsɪz/
Line 3
W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."
Line 4
Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.
/ˈmɪsɪz ˈdʌɡləs wɑːz ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈoʊvər hɜːr ˈʃɑːpɪŋ lɪst ənd ˈlɪli ˈdʌɡləs wɑːz ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈoʊvər hɜːr ˈmʌðərz ˈʃoʊldər/
Line 5
The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.
/ðə ˈkrɪsməs ˈtʃerɪti fer wɑːz soʊ suːn tuː biː held ðæt ˈmɪsɪz ˈdʌɡləs hæd ə wɜːrld ʌv ˈbɪznəs tuː əˈtend tuː fɔːr ʌv kɔːrs hɜːr ˈteɪbəl mʌst biː fʊl ʌv ˈprɪti θɪŋz ˈsuːtəbəl fɔːr ðə ˈsiːzən/

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.

Charity noun US /ˈtʃerɪti/

a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)

From this reading “The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Christmas noun US /ˈkrɪsməs/

period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

From this reading “The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Douglas noun US /ˈdʌɡləs/

United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)

From this reading “Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hays noun US /heɪz/

United States lawyer and politician who formulated a production code that prescribed the moral content of United States films from 1930 to 1966 (1879-1954)

From this reading “W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Lily noun US /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading “Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
list verb US /lɪst/

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

From this reading “Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shopping noun US /ˈʃɑːpɪŋ/

searching for or buying goods or services

From this reading “Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suitable adjective US /ˈsuːtəbəl/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading “The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 47

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
attendverbUS /əˈtend/

be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BY MRS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CharitynounUS /ˈtʃerɪti/

a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChristmasnounUS /ˈkrɪsməs/

period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DouglasnounUS /ˈdʌɡləs/

United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HAYSnounUS /heɪz/

United States lawyer and politician who formulated a production code that prescribed the moral content of United States films from 1930 to 1966 (1879-1954)

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IDLEWAYS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

Pending verification
JnounUS /dʒeɪ/

a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LilynounUS /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listverbUS /lɪst/

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MRSnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading BY MRS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NATUREnounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ONEpronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PRINCESSnounUS /ˈprɪn.ses/

The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

Velmora curated lexicon
seasonnounUS /ˈsiːzən/

a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shoppingnounUS /ˈʃɑːpɪŋ/

searching for or buying goods or services

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shoulderverbUS /ˈʃoʊldər/

lift onto one's shoulders

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suitableadjectiveUS /ˈsuːtəbəl/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TOUCHverbUS /tʌtʃ/

make physical contact with, come in contact with

From this reading ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WnounUS /ˈdʌbəljuː/

a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite

From this reading W. J. HAYS, AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCESS IDLEWAYS."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Mrs. Douglas was looking over her shopping list, and Lily Douglas was looking over her mother's shoulder.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading The Christmas Charity Fair was so soon to be held that Mrs. Douglas had a world of business to attend to, for of course her table must be full of pretty things suitable for the season.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 by Various holds 537 sentences, grouped into 108 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, December 16, 1879 contain?

Chapter 1 holds 537 sentences of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879, unabridged, divided into 108 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 537 sentences, grouped into 108 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, December 16, 1879?

Work through the 108 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 108 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, December 16, 1879

Common questions about reading Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879?

Yes. All 537 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28261 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28261, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 take to read?

About 44 minutes of reading across 108 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 section by section

How to work through Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879

Words and structures a reader meets early in Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Touch
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nature
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Princess
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, December 16, 1879; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.