Chapter 1 of Miss Lulu Bett is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Miss Lulu Bett is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Deacons were at supper. In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet. This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound. "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so. He made this joke almost every night.
Chapter 1 of Miss Lulu Bett is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
able to attract interest or draw favorable attention
From this reading “In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.”
a Protestant layman who assists the minister
From this reading “"Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.”
plural of “deacon” — a Protestant layman who assists the minister
From this reading “The Deacons were at supper.”
past form of “flare” — burn brightly
From this reading “This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.”
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading “In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.”
an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading “In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.”
put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground
From this reading “In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.”
any of numerous perennial bulbous herbs having linear or broadly lanceolate leaves and usually a single showy flower
From this reading “In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.”
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 In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He made this joke almost every night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
any thing at all
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
able to attract interest or draw favorable attention
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Deacons were at supper.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
a Protestant layman who assists the minister
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
plural of “deacon” — a Protestant layman who assists the minister
From this reading The Deacons were at supper.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He made this joke almost every night.
past form of “flare” — burn brightly
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He made this joke almost every night.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading He made this joke almost every night.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made this joke almost every night.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He made this joke almost every night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading The Deacons were at supper.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Deacons were at supper.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
any of numerous perennial bulbous herbs having linear or broadly lanceolate leaves and usually a single showy flower
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Better turn down the gas jest a little," Mr. Deacon said, and stretched up to do so.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Deacons were at supper.
belonging to which person
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This gas jet was high above the table and flared, with a sound.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading In the middle of the table was a small, appealing tulip plant, looking as anything would look whose sun was a gas jet.
Chapter 1 of Miss Lulu Bett by Zona Gale holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Miss Lulu Bett, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Miss Lulu Bett by Zona Gale exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Miss Lulu Bett by Zona Gale on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10429 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10429, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 310 minutes of reading across 746 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Lulu Bett section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Miss Lulu Bett 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 Miss Lulu Bett, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
