Chapter 1 of Larkspur is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Larkspur is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC. Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II. The Captain’s Story III. Renée Finds a Home IV. Gardens V. First Aid VI.
Chapter 1 of Larkspur is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading “Gardens V. First Aid VI.”
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.”
possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading “Renée Finds a Home IV.”
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “Gardens V. First Aid VI.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.”
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.”
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading “Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.”
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.
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 Renée Finds a Home IV.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading Gardens V. First Aid VI.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC.
possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The Captain’s Story III.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading Renée Finds a Home IV.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Gardens V. First Aid VI.
plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Gardens V. First Aid VI.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Renée Finds a Home IV.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The Captain’s Story III.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Renée Finds a Home IV.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF HAPPY HOUSE, KEINETH, ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Renée Finds a Home IV.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The Captain’s Story III.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading Made in the United States of America I. An October Day II.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading Gardens V. First Aid VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Gardens V. First Aid VI.
Chapter 1 of Larkspur by Jane Abbott holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Larkspur, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Larkspur by Jane Abbott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Larkspur by Jane Abbott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3195 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49098 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49098, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 266 minutes of reading across 639 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Larkspur section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Larkspur 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 Larkspur, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
