Chapter 1 of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls is here in full — 275 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls is here in full — 275 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MEG'S FRIEND. A Story for Girls. Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc. With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler. It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
Chapter 1 of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls is here in full — 275 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
of the most contemptible kind
From this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading “Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.”
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
English lexicographer who wrote a well-known book on English usage (1858-1933)
From this reading “With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.”
the childhood of a girl
From this reading “Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.”
leave undone or leave out
From this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
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.
In this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
being ten more than one hundred ninety
In this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
In this reading “It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.”
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 A Story for Girls.
of the most contemptible kind
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
in the past
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
a city district of central London laid out in garden squares
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A Story for Girls.
English lexicographer who wrote a well-known book on English usage (1858-1933)
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading MEG'S FRIEND.
occupying an entire page in a book or paper
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
the childhood of a girl
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading A Story for Girls.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
ten 10s
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MEG'S FRIEND.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
leave undone or leave out
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
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 A Story for Girls.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of "Margery Merton's Girlhood," "Down the Snow Stairs," "Joan's Adventures," etc., etc.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Five Full-Page Illustrations by Robert Fowler.
a late time of life
From this reading It was a queer old house in Bloomsbury, that had been fashionable some two hundred years ago, and had fallen into abject neglect.
Chapter 1 of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls by Alice Corkran holds 275 sentences, grouped into 55 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 275 sentences of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls by Alice Corkran exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 275 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls by Alice Corkran on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39936 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39936, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 970 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls 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 Meg's Friend: A Story for Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
