Chapter 1 of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "GUNNAR," "FALCONBERG," ETC. To DR. EGBERT GUERNSEY. I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine. Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
Chapter 1 of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
in an adequate manner or to an adequate degree
From this reading “I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.”
give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
From this reading “Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.”
king of Wessex whose military victories made Wessex the most powerful kingdom in England (died in 839)
From this reading “EGBERT GUERNSEY.”
a Channel Island to the northwest of Jersey
From this reading “EGBERT GUERNSEY.”
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading “Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.”
pay back
From this reading “I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.”
performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others
From this reading “I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.”
lacking pretension or affectation
From this reading “Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.”
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 an adequate manner or to an adequate degree
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "GUNNAR," "FALCONBERG," ETC.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To DR.
king of Wessex whose military victories made Wessex the most powerful kingdom in England (died in 839)
From this reading EGBERT GUERNSEY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "GUNNAR," "FALCONBERG," ETC.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "GUNNAR," "FALCONBERG," ETC.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
a Channel Island to the northwest of Jersey
From this reading EGBERT GUERNSEY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "GUNNAR," "FALCONBERG," ETC.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
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 I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "GUNNAR," "FALCONBERG," ETC.
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
pay back
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To DR.
lacking pretension or affectation
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Nevertheless, in recognition of what you have been to us, allow me to dedicate this unpretentious volume to you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I can never expect adequately to repay you for your many valuable services to me and mine.
Chapter 1 of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2593 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 216 minutes of reading across 519 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories 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 Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
