Neighbours

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Neighbours is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert J. C. Stead • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

Beside the mill was a water-wheel; not a modern turbine, but a wooden wheel which, on sunshiny days, sprayed a mist of jewels into the river beneath with the prodigality of a fairy prince.

My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/22

Neighbours Robert J. C. Stead

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Neighbours is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town. Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town. Beside the mill was a water-wheel; not a modern turbine, but a wooden wheel which, on sunshiny days, sprayed a mist of jewels into the river beneath with the prodigality of a fairy prince. My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town. That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

Neighbours

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Neighbours is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

/maɪ ˈɜːrliəst ˌrekəˈlekʃən lɪŋks bæk tuː ə ɡreɪ stoʊn haʊs baɪ ə roʊd ˈentərɪŋ ə ˈlɪtəl ɑːnˈterioʊ taʊn/

Line 2

Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

Line 3

Beside the mill was a water-wheel; not a modern turbine, but a wooden wheel which, on sunshiny days, sprayed a mist of jewels into the river beneath with the prodigality of a fairy prince.

Line 4

My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

/maɪ ˈfɑːðər wɜːrkt ɪn ðə mɪl æz dɪd moʊst ʌv ðə men ənd ˈmeni ʌv ðə ˈwɪmən ʌv ðə taʊn/

Line 5

That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

Learner Dictionary

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.

earliest adjective US /ˈɜːrliəst/

(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early

From this reading “My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.”

introduction noun US /ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

the act of beginning something new

From this reading “That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.”

links noun US /lɪŋks/

a golf course that is built on sandy ground near a shore

From this reading “My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.”

Ontario noun US /ɑːnˈterioʊ/

the smallest of the Great Lakes

From this reading “My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.”

sprayed verb US /spreɪd/

past form of “spray” — be discharged in sprays of liquid

From this reading “Beside the mill was a water-wheel; not a modern turbine, but a wooden wheel which, on sunshiny days, sprayed a mist of jewels into the river beneath with the prodigality of a fairy prince.”

turbine noun US /ˈtɜːrbaɪn/

rotary engine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed rotor to rotate

Unionism noun US /ˈjuːnjənɪzəm/

the system or principles and theory of labor unions

From this reading “That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.”

woolen noun US /ˈwʊlən/

a fabric made from the hair of sheep

From this reading “Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

earliest recollection adjective + noun

In this reading “My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.”

grey stone adjective + noun

In this reading “My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.”

fairy prince noun + noun

In this reading “Beside the mill was a water-wheel; not a modern turbine, but a wooden wheel which, on sunshiny days, sprayed a mist of jewels into the river beneath with the prodigality of a fairy prince.”

Across the road preposition + article + noun counted as “across … road”

In this reading “Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.”

succeeded in verb + particle counted as “succeed in”

In this reading “That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.”

into the river preposition + article + noun counted as “into … river”

little town adjective + noun

In this reading “Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.”

at night preposition + noun

In this reading “That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.”

All words in this reading · 77

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

AcrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading Beside the mill was a water-wheel; not a modern turbine, but a wooden wheel which, on sunshiny days, sprayed a mist of jewels into the river beneath with the prodigality of a fairy prince.

BesideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

earliestadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrliəst/

(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

eight-hour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

enteringnounUS /ˈentərɪŋ/

a movement into or inward

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

fairynounUS /ˈferi/

a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

generaladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

greyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

introductionnounUS /ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

the act of beginning something new

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

jewelsnounUS /ˈdʒuːəlz/

plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry

linksnounUS /lɪŋks/

a golf course that is built on sandy ground near a shore

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

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 My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

millverbUS /mɪl/

move about in a confused manner

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

mill-pond

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

mistverbUS /mɪst/

become covered with mist

modernadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdərn/

belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

occasionnounUS /əˈkeɪʒən/

an event that occurs at a critical time

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/

out of fashion

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

OntarionounUS /ɑːnˈterioʊ/

the smallest of the Great Lakes

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

princenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

prodigalitynoun

the trait of spending extravagantly

recollectionnounUS /ˌrekəˈlekʃən/

the ability to recall past occurrences

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

sixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

sprayedverbUS /spreɪd/

past form of “spray” — be discharged in sprays of liquid

startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/

past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

succeededverbUS /səkˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

sunshiny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

supportnounUS /səˈpɔːrt/

the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading My earliest recollection links back to a grey stone house by a road entering a little Ontario town.

turbinenounUS /ˈtɜːrbaɪn/

rotary engine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed rotor to rotate

UnionismnounUS /ˈjuːnjənɪzəm/

the system or principles and theory of labor unions

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

water-wheel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

wheelverbUS /wiːl/

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

woodenadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdən/

made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood

woolennounUS /ˈwʊlən/

a fabric made from the hair of sheep

From this reading Across the road was a mill-pond, and across the mill-pond was a mill; an old-fashioned woolen mill which was the occasion and support of the little town.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading That was before Unionism had succeeded in any general introduction of the eight-hour day; my father started work at seven in the morning and worked until six at night.

workedverbUS /wɜːrkt/

past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading My father worked in the mill, as did most of the men and many of the women of the town.

Chapter 1 of Neighbours by Robert J. C. Stead holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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.

What does chapter 1 of Neighbours contain?

Chapter 1 holds 111 sentences of Neighbours, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Neighbours by Robert J. C. Stead exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Neighbours?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Neighbours

Common questions about reading Neighbours by Robert J. C. Stead on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Neighbours?

Yes. All 5202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35478 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Neighbours is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35478, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Neighbours take to read?

About 433 minutes of reading across 1041 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Neighbours section by section

How to work through Neighbours section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 23 chapters of Neighbours to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Neighbours

Words and structures a reader meets early in Neighbours, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Earliest: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Neighbours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Recollection: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Neighbours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Links: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Neighbours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stone: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Neighbours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

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Vocabulary met early in Neighbours