Chapter 1 of Only an Irish Girl is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Only an Irish Girl is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And was it only a dream, Aileen?" "Only a dream, miss, but it consarned me greatly. Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!" Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek. "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
Chapter 1 of Only an Irish Girl is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading “Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.”
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “"You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!”
plural of “laugh” — the sound of laughing
From this reading “Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.”
plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
From this reading “Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.”
inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life
From this reading “Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.”
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading “"You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!”
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading “Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.”
(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun
From this reading “Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.”
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 "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Only a dream, miss, but it consarned me greatly.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Only a dream, miss, but it consarned me greatly.
dearly loved
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading "Only a dream, miss, but it consarned me greatly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
plural of “laugh” — the sound of laughing
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Only a dream, miss, but it consarned me greatly.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Only a dream, miss, but it consarned me greatly.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
and nothing more
From this reading "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
above and across; more than
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
plural of “pass” — (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Shure an' I never had the taste of a sweet sound sleep since I dramed it!"
a special situation
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And was it only a dream, Aileen?"
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Honor Blake laughs, and passes her slim hand over the old woman's ruddy tanned cheek.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You dear silly old thing to bother your head about a dream!
Chapter 1 of Only an Irish Girl by Duchess holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 149 sentences of Only an Irish Girl, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Only an Irish Girl by Duchess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Only an Irish Girl by Duchess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1446 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27839 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27839, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 120 minutes of reading across 290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Only an Irish Girl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Only an Irish Girl 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 Only an Irish Girl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
