Chapter 1 of Old People and the Things That Pass is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Old People and the Things That Pass is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog! Are you coming with your master?" The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws. "Oh, that voice of Steyn's!" Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
Chapter 1 of Old People and the Things That Pass is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
with anger
From this reading “Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.”
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading “The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.”
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.”
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading “The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.”
plural of “paw” — a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped
From this reading “The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.”
any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground
From this reading “The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.”
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading “The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.”
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 “The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.”
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
In this reading “See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!”
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 The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
with anger
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you coming with your master?"
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Are you coming with your master?"
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
past form of “hiss” — make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!
a small worthless amount
From this reading See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Are you coming with your master?"
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, that voice of Steyn's!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, that voice of Steyn's!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
above and across; more than
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
plural of “paw” — a clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See https:// "Come, Jack, come along, dog!
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, that voice of Steyn's!"
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh, that voice of Steyn's!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
up to a particular time
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading The terrier gave a loud, glad bark and came rushing madly down the stairs, till he seemed to be tumbling over his own paws.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Ottilie hissed between her teeth angrily and turned a number of pages of her novel.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Oh, that voice of Steyn's!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Are you coming with your master?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Are you coming with your master?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Are you coming with your master?"
Chapter 1 of Old People and the Things That Pass by Louis Couperus holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Old People and the Things That Pass, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Old People and the Things That Pass by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Old People and the Things That Pass by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6492 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48271 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48271, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 541 minutes of reading across 1299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old People and the Things That Pass section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Old People and the Things That Pass 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 Old People and the Things That Pass, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
