Chapter 1 of My Book of Ten Fishes is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of My Book of Ten Fishes is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin. Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?" It is because I am shaped like a star. I am the star of the sea. My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
Chapter 1 of My Book of Ten Fishes is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading “My five large, thick arms point in different directions.”
plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.”
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading “Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.”
French advocate of Jansenism; tragedian who based his works on Greek and Roman themes (1639-1699)
From this reading “Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.”
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading “It is because I am shaped like a star.”
a momentary flash of light
From this reading “Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.”
United States poet who celebrated the greatness of America (1819-1892)
From this reading “Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.”
a tributary of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin
From this reading “Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.”
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 “My five large, thick arms point in different directions.”
In this reading “Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"”
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 Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
weapons considered collectively
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
for the reason that
From this reading It is because I am shaped like a star.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is because I am shaped like a star.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is because I am shaped like a star.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It is because I am shaped like a star.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
French advocate of Jansenism; tragedian who based his works on Greek and Roman themes (1639-1699)
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading I am the star of the sea.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading It is because I am shaped like a star.
a momentary flash of light
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I am the star of the sea.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading My five large, thick arms point in different directions.
United States poet who celebrated the greatness of America (1819-1892)
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
a tributary of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin
From this reading Author of Spark Series, "My Book of Ten Fishes," etc. Whitman Publishing Co. Racine, Wisconsin.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you know why I am called a "Star Fish?"
Chapter 1 of My Book of Ten Fishes by Rosalie G. Mendel holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 136 sentences of My Book of Ten Fishes, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of My Book of Ten Fishes by Rosalie G. Mendel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 My Book of Ten Fishes by Rosalie G. Mendel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 136 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56206 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56206, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 11 minutes of reading across 28 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Book of Ten Fishes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of My Book of Ten Fishes 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 My Book of Ten Fishes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
