Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION. BY FRANK H. TAYLOR. "What's your name, boy?" The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer. "Wilbert Fairlaw, sir," was the timid reply.
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
enclose with a fence
From this reading “The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.”
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading “The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.”
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading “The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “BY FRANK H. TAYLOR.”
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading “"Wilbert Fairlaw, sir," was the timid reply.”
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.”
possessive form of “work” — activity directed toward making or doing something
From this reading “WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.”
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 WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
react verbally
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
a youthful male person
From this reading "What's your name, boy?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY FRANK H. TAYLOR.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Wilbert Fairlaw, sir," was the timid reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
enclose with a fence
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading BY FRANK H. TAYLOR.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading BY FRANK H. TAYLOR.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "What's your name, boy?"
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "Wilbert Fairlaw, sir," was the timid reply.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Wilbert Fairlaw, sir," was the timid reply.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading BY FRANK H. TAYLOR.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading "Wilbert Fairlaw, sir," was the timid reply.
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's your name, boy?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The question came so suddenly that the boy nearly tumbled from the fence upon which he was perched, as Judge Barton stopped squarely in front of him, and waited for an answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
possessive form of “work” — activity directed toward making or doing something
From this reading WORK'S A MINT; OR, WILBERT FAIRLAW'S NOTION.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What's your name, boy?"
Chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 by Various holds 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 445 sentences of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 845 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 70 minutes of reading across 169 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 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 Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
