Chapter 1 of Kid Stuff is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Kid Stuff is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me? Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_? And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her? You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow. We _were_ to have been married.
Chapter 1 of Kid Stuff is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen
From this reading “Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?”
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading “_Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?”
suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
From this reading “_Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?”
come to pass
From this reading “And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “_Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?”
a customary way of operation or behavior
the day after today
From this reading “You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We _were_ to have been married.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
come to pass
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
an occurrence of something
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
joined in matrimony
From this reading You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
select carefully from a group
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why, out of 300 billion people on earth, why did they have to pick on _me_?
the day after today
From this reading You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We _were_ to have been married.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Practice makes perfect in some cases--but not in this eerie instance!_ Why me?
in the company of; together with
From this reading And if it had to happen, why couldn't it have happened before I met Betty and fell in love with her?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You see, Betty and I were to be married tomorrow.
Chapter 1 of Kid Stuff by Winston K. (Winston Kinney) Marks holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 193 sentences of Kid Stuff, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Kid Stuff by Winston K. (Winston Kinney) Marks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Kid Stuff by Winston K. (Winston Kinney) Marks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Kid Stuff section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Kid Stuff 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 Kid Stuff, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
