Chapter 1 of Pearl of Pearl Island is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Pearl of Pearl Island is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not many, I'm afraid. They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books. And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library. You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer. How is this last one going?"
Chapter 1 of Pearl of Pearl Island is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 17/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 81–85
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.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.”
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading “They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.”
comparative of “dear” — dearly loved
From this reading “You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.”
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading “You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.”
plural of “review” — a new appraisal or evaluation
From this reading “They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.”
comparative of “scarce” — deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand
From this reading “You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.”
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.”
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 if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "Not many, I'm afraid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
comparative of “dear” — dearly loved
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
a young female
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
the act of departing
From this reading How is this last one going?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How is this last one going?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not many, I'm afraid.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How is this last one going?"
immediately past
From this reading How is this last one going?"
a room where books are kept
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
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 "Not many, I'm afraid.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not many, I'm afraid.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading How is this last one going?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
plural of “review” — a new appraisal or evaluation
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
comparative of “scarce” — deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading How is this last one going?"
in spite of the fact that
From this reading They read reviews and chatter as though they'd read the books.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading And if they really want to read them they get them out of a library.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
at the time that
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You don't see bought books lying on the tables, as you used to do when I was a girl, and they were scarcer and dearer.
Chapter 1 of Pearl of Pearl Island by John Oxenham holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Pearl of Pearl Island, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Pearl of Pearl Island by John Oxenham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Pearl of Pearl Island by John Oxenham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4149 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pearl of Pearl Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Pearl of Pearl Island 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 Pearl of Pearl Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
