Chapter 1 of Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair is here in full — 413 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 Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC. University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. "Here's your breakfast, miss. I hope it's right. Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
Chapter 1 of Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair is here in full — 413 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.
a university in England
From this reading “University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.”
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."”
plural of “poppy” — annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.”
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading “University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.”
annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.”
author of the first novel by an African American that was published in the United States (1808-1870)
From this reading “University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.”
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 “AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.”
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 University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "Here's your breakfast, miss.
a university in England
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's your breakfast, miss.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I hope it's right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I hope it's right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I hope it's right.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
the force of workers available
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Here's your breakfast, miss.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
plural of “poppy” — annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I hope it's right.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
a male human offspring
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Your mother showed me how to fix it, and said I'd find a cup up here."
annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
author of the first novel by an African American that was published in the United States (1808-1870)
From this reading University Press JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "LITTLE WOMEN," "MAY FLOWERS," "POPPIES AND WHEAT," ETC.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Here's your breakfast, miss.
Chapter 1 of Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair by Louisa May Alcott holds 413 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 413 sentences of Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 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 Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37807 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37807, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 34 minutes of reading across 83 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair 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 Mountain-Laurel and Maidenhair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
