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Little Mitchell
Little Mitchell

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Little Mitchell is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Margaret Warner Morley • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Little Mitchell
Context Illustration Reading 1/87 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.
LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”
THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”
LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Little Mitchell

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Little Mitchell is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.
Line 2
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.
/ðə ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti pres ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ juː es ə/
Line 3
LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”
Line 4
THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”
Line 5
LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

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.

bee noun US /biː/

any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species

From this reading “AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cambridge noun US /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/

a university in England

From this reading “THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chestnut adjective US /ˈtʃesnʌt/

(of hair or feathers) of a golden brown to reddish brown color

From this reading “LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crotch noun US /krɑːtʃ/

the region of the angle formed by the junction of two branches

From this reading “LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dipped adjective US /dɪpt/

having abnormal sagging of the spine (especially in horses)

From this reading “LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mitchell's noun US /ˈmɪtʃəlz/

possessive form of “mitchell” — English aeronautical engineer (1895-1937)

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
schoolhouse noun US /ˈskuːlhaʊs/

a building where young people receive education

From this reading “THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
university noun US /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti/

the body of faculty and students at a university

From this reading “THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

chestnut tree adjective + noun

any of several attractive deciduous trees yellow-brown in autumn; yield a hard wood and edible nuts in a prickly bur

In this reading “LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.””

861 times in 426,212 chapters
on the bank preposition + article + noun counted as “on … bank”

In this reading “THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.””

7,714 times in 426,212 chapters
stood on verb + particle

In this reading “THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.””

20,602 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 49

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.

15

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

Pending verification
29

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

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

Pending verification
37

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

Pending verification
AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
banknounUS /bæŋk/

sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BEEnounUS /biː/

any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CAMBRIDGEnounUS /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/

a university in England

From this reading THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chestnutadjectiveUS /ˈtʃesnʌt/

(of hair or feathers) of a golden brown to reddish brown color

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crotchnounUS /krɑːtʃ/

the region of the angle formed by the junction of two branches

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dippedadjectiveUS /dɪpt/

having abnormal sagging of the spine (especially in horses)

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ETC

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

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

Pending verification
fingerverbUS /ˈfɪŋɡər/

feel or handle with the fingers

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
holenounUS /hoʊl/

an opening into or through something

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HOMEnounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LIFEnounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LOGverbUS /lɔːɡ/

enter into a log, as on ships and planes

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MEALnounUS /miːl/

the food served and eaten at one time

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
milknounUS /mɪlk/

a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MITCHELL'SnounUS /ˈmɪtʃəlz/

possessive form of “mitchell” — English aeronautical engineer (1895-1937)

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nestnounUS /nest/

a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PEOPLEnounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PRESSverbUS /pres/

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST MEAL 37 “The Lady dipped the end of her finger in the milk and put it in Little Mitchell’s mouth.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SCHOOLHOUSEnounUS /ˈskuːlhaʊs/

a building where young people receive education

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SONGnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
squirrel's

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

Pending verification
stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE 29 “The schoolhouse stood on the bank of a little river.”

Velmora curated lexicon
talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AUTHOR OF “A SONG OF LIFE,” “THE BEE PEOPLE,” ETC.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
treenounUS /triː/

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UnounUS /juː/

a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

From this reading THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UNIVERSITYnounUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti/

the body of faculty and students at a university

From this reading THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading LITTLE MITCHELL’S FIRST HOME 15 “A squirrel’s nest, in a nice hole, high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of Little Mitchell by Margaret Warner Morley holds 436 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.

What does chapter 1 of Little Mitchell contain?

Chapter 1 holds 436 sentences of Little Mitchell, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Little Mitchell by Margaret Warner Morley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Little Mitchell?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Little Mitchell

Common questions about reading Little Mitchell by Margaret Warner Morley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Little Mitchell?

Yes. All 1307 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47995 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Little Mitchell is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47995, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Little Mitchell take to read?

About 108 minutes of reading across 262 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Little Mitchell section by section

How to work through Little Mitchell section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of Little Mitchell to begin.

  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 Little Mitchell

Words and structures a reader meets early in Little Mitchell, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Mitchell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
People
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Mitchell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
University
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Mitchell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Press
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Mitchell; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.