Chapter 1 of Mopsa the Fairy is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mopsa the Fairy is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author's Edition. "And can this be my own world? 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below." "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more." A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
Chapter 1 of Mopsa the Fairy is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Author's Edition.”
plural of “buttercup” — any of various plants of the genus Ranunculus
From this reading “A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.”
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading “'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."”
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading “'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."”
United States anthropologist noted for her claims about adolescence and sexual behavior in Polynesian cultures (1901-1978)
From this reading “"'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."”
a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading “A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.”
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “"'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."”
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 “A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.”
In this reading “'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."”
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 boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author's Edition.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
a youthful male person
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
plural of “buttercup” — any of various plants of the genus Ranunculus
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading Author's Edition.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
the act of departing
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
coins made of gold
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
an old form of “has”
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
United States anthropologist noted for her claims about adolescence and sexual behavior in Polynesian cultures (1901-1978)
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
on one occasion
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
except for; apart from
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
precisely as stated
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
in or at the place that
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A boy, whom I knew very well, was once going through a meadow, which was full of buttercups.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "And can this be my own world?
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "'Tis thy world, 'tis my world, City, mead, and shore, For he that hath his own world Hath many worlds more."
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading 'Tis all gold and snow, Save where scarlet waves are hurled Down yon gulf below."
Chapter 1 of Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 96 sentences of Mopsa the Fairy, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1937 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32867, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 161 minutes of reading across 388 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mopsa the Fairy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Mopsa the Fairy 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 Mopsa the Fairy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
