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Little Novels of Italy
Little Novels of Italy

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Little Novels of Italy is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Little Novels of Italy
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.
Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
U.S.A.
MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.
Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.
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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 Novels of Italy

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Little Novels of Italy is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.
Line 2
Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.
Line 3
U.S.A.
Line 4
MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.
Line 5
Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

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.

bonus noun US /ˈboʊnəs/

anything that tends to arouse

From this reading “MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.”

Cushing noun US /ˈkʊʃɪŋ/

United States neurologist noted for his study of the brain and pituitary gland and who identified Cushing's syndrome (1869-1939)

From this reading “Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.”

delicately adverb US /ˈdeləkətli/

in a delicate manner

From this reading “Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.”

earthwork noun US /ˈɜːrθwɜːrk/

an earthen rampart

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.”

pan verb US /pæn/

make a sweeping movement

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.”

pliant adjective US /ˈplaɪənt/

capable of being influenced or formed

From this reading “Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.”

tuscany noun US /ˈtʌskəni/

a region in central Italy

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.”

Verona noun US /vərˈoʊnə/

a city in Veneto on the River Adige

From this reading “Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading U.S.A.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

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

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

Berwick

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

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

BONUSnounUS /ˈboʊnəs/

anything that tends to arouse

From this reading MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.

ConounUS /koʊ/

an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

CushingnounUS /ˈkʊʃɪŋ/

United States neurologist noted for his study of the brain and pituitary gland and who identified Cushing's syndrome (1869-1939)

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

delicatelyadverbUS /ˈdeləkətli/

in a delicate manner

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

EnounUS /iː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body

From this reading MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.

EARTHWORKnounUS /ˈɜːrθwɜːrk/

an earthen rampart

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

easilyadverbUS /ˈiːzəli/

with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

ETC

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

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

fair-hairedadjective

favorite

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

flushedadjectiveUS /flʌʃt/

having the pinkish flush of health

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

FORESTnounUS /ˈfɔːrəst/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

Giovanna

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

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

JnounUS /dʒeɪ/

a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

JOSEPHnounUS /ˈdʒoʊsəf/

leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)

From this reading MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.

LOVERSnounUS /ˈlʌvərz/

plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

MAJOR-GENERALnoun

a general officer ranking above a brigadier general and below a lieutenant general

From this reading MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.

MassnounUS /mæs/

the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

Norwood

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

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

OUTadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

PANverbUS /pæn/

make a sweeping movement

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

pliantadjectiveUS /ˈplaɪənt/

capable of being influenced or formed

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

PressverbUS /pres/

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH BONUS, R.E.

SnounUS /es/

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

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

Scarpa

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

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

shapedadjectiveUS /ʃeɪpt/

shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

SHEPHERDnounUS /ˈʃepərd/

a clergyman who watches over a group of people

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

SmithnounUS /smɪθ/

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass.

sortnounUS /sɔːrt/

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

tenderadjectiveUS /ˈtendər/

given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

TUSCANYnounUS /ˈtʌskəni/

a region in central Italy

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

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 U.S.A.

VeronanounUS /vərˈoʊnə/

a city in Veneto on the River Adige

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

winningadjectiveUS /ˈwɪnɪŋ/

having won

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Not easily would you have found a girl more winning in a tender sort than Giovanna Scarpa of Verona at one and twenty, fair-haired and flushed, delicately shaped, tall and pliant, as she then was.

YOUNGadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE FOREST LOVERS," "PAN AND THE YOUNG SHEPHERD," "EARTHWORK OUT OF TUSCANY," ETC.

Chapter 1 of Little Novels of Italy by Maurice Hewlett holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 Novels of Italy contain?

Chapter 1 holds 399 sentences of Little Novels of Italy, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Little Novels of Italy by Maurice Hewlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 Novels of Italy?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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 Novels of Italy

Common questions about reading Little Novels of Italy by Maurice Hewlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Little Novels of Italy?

Yes. All 5208 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Little Novels of Italy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #20929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Little Novels of Italy take to read?

About 434 minutes of reading across 1042 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Little Novels of Italy section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of Little Novels of Italy 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 Novels of Italy

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

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels of Italy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Forest
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels of Italy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lovers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels of Italy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels of Italy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.