Chapter 1 of Nature readers is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Nature readers is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nature Readers. SEA-SIDE AND WAY-SIDE. BY JULIA McNAIR WRIGHT. “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’” TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
Chapter 1 of Nature readers is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.”
United States neurologist noted for his study of the brain and pituitary gland and who identified Cushing's syndrome (1869-1939)
From this reading “TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.”
an old form of “has”
From this reading ““Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’””
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading ““Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’””
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading ““Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’””
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading “Nature Readers.”
the craft of composing type and printing from it
From this reading “TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.”
United States writer of detective novels (1888-1939)
From this reading “BY JULIA McNAIR WRIGHT.”
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.
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 “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SEA-SIDE AND WAY-SIDE.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY JULIA McNAIR WRIGHT.
a young person of either sex
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
United States neurologist noted for his study of the brain and pituitary gland and who identified Cushing's syndrome (1869-1939)
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
an old form of “has”
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY JULIA McNAIR WRIGHT.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY JULIA McNAIR WRIGHT.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Nature Readers.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading Nature Readers.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEA-SIDE AND WAY-SIDE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
the craft of composing type and printing from it
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading TYPOGRAPHY BY J. S. CUSHING & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SEA-SIDE AND WAY-SIDE.
United States writer of detective novels (1888-1939)
From this reading BY JULIA McNAIR WRIGHT.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “Then Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying, ‘Here is a story-book Thy Father hath written for thee.’”
Chapter 1 of Nature readers by Julia McNair Wright holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Nature readers, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Nature readers by Julia McNair Wright exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Nature readers by Julia McNair Wright on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1714 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71462 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71462, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 142 minutes of reading across 343 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nature readers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Nature readers 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 Nature readers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
