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Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881
Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881
Context Illustration Reading 1/91 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WIND HARP.
"Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.
"You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."
"Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."
"Where did you get them, my darling?"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WIND HARP.
/ðə waɪnd hɑːrp/
Line 2
"Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.
Line 3
"You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."
/juː wɪl ˈtaɪər jərˈself dɪr ɪf juː traɪ tuː duː ðæt dʒʌst ʃʌt jɔːr aɪz ʌp taɪt ənd traɪ tuː sliːp/
Line 4
"Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."
/wɪl juː pʊt maɪ hɑːrp ɪn ðə ˈwɪndoʊ ðer meɪ biː ə briːz ˈæftər ə waɪl ənd aɪ wɑːnt tuː noʊ ˈveri mʌtʃ ɪf ðer ɪz ˈeni ˈmjuːzɪk ɪn ðoʊz strɪŋz/
Line 5
"Where did you get them, my darling?"
/wer dɪd juː ɡet ðem maɪ ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

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.

breeze noun US /briːz/

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading “"Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."”

darling noun US /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading “"Where did you get them, my darling?"”

garret noun US /ˈɡerɪt/

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading “"Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.”

harp noun US /hɑːrp/

a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers

From this reading “THE WIND HARP.”

strings noun US /strɪŋz/

the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments

From this reading “"Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."”

tight adjective US /taɪt/

closely constrained or constricted or constricting

From this reading “"You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."”

tire verb US /ˈtaɪər/

lose interest or become bored with something or somebody

From this reading “"You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."”

weak adjective US /wiːk/

wanting in physical strength

From this reading “"Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.”

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.

weak voice adjective + noun

In this reading “"Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.”

in a garret preposition + article + noun counted as “in … garret”

In this reading “"Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

breezenounUS /briːz/

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

countverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

darlingnounUS /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading "Where did you get them, my darling?"

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "Where did you get them, my darling?"

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

garretnounUS /ˈɡerɪt/

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "Where did you get them, my darling?"

HARPnounUS /hɑːrp/

a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers

From this reading THE WIND HARP.

how

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

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

Lisa

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

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

sleepnounUS /sliːp/

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

starsnounUS /stɑːrz/

plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

stringsnounUS /strɪŋz/

the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

takesnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE WIND HARP.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "Where did you get them, my darling?"

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

tightadjectiveUS /taɪt/

closely constrained or constricted or constricting

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

tireverbUS /ˈtaɪər/

lose interest or become bored with something or somebody

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

to-night

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

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

tryverbUS /traɪ/

make an effort or attempt

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

weakadjectiveUS /wiːk/

wanting in physical strength

From this reading "Oh, Lisa, how many stars there are to-night! and how long it takes to count just a few!" said a weak voice from a little bed in a garret room.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Where did you get them, my darling?"

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

WINDnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading THE WIND HARP.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading "Will you put my harp in the window? there may be a breeze after a while, and I want to know very much if there is any music in those strings."

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading "You will tire yourself, dear, if you try to do that; just shut your eyes up tight, and try to sleep."

Chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 by Various holds 459 sentences, grouped into 92 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 3 of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 contain?

Chapter 3 holds 459 sentences of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 459 sentences, grouped into 92 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 3 of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881?

Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 92 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 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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, February 1, 1881

Common questions about reading Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881?

Yes. All 919 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44753 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44753, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 take to read?

About 76 minutes of reading across 184 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 section by section

How to work through Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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, February 1, 1881

Words and structures a reader meets early in Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Kitty's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Baked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Patty-pan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 1, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.