Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Penelope's English Experiences
Penelope's English Experiences

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Penelope's English Experiences is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Penelope's English Experiences
Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
10 Dovermarle Street.
Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.
I am an artist.
Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.
She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Penelope's English Experiences

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Penelope's English Experiences is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
10 Dovermarle Street.
Line 2
Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.
Line 3
I am an artist.
/aɪ æm æn ˈɑːrtəst/
Line 4
Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.
Line 5
She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

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.

dawned verb US /dɔːnd/

past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

From this reading “She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.”

development noun US /dɪˈveləpmənt/

act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining

From this reading “She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.”

label verb US /ˈleɪbəl/

assign a label to; designate with a label

From this reading “Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.”

limited adjective US /ˈlɪmətəd/

small in range or scope

From this reading “Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.”

philanthropist noun US /fəˈlænθrəpəst/

someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being

From this reading “Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.”

philanthropists noun US /fɪˈlænθrəpɪsts/

plural of “philanthropist” — someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being

From this reading “Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.”

unaware adjective US /ˌʌnəˈwer/

(often followed by “of”) not aware

From this reading “She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.”

vogue noun US /voʊɡ/

the popular taste at a given time

From this reading “She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

10

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

From this reading 10 Dovermarle Street.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I am an artist.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading I am an artist.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

artistnounUS /ˈɑːrtəst/

a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination

From this reading I am an artist.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

BostonnounUS /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

dawnedverbUS /dɔːnd/

past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

developmentnounUS /dɪˈveləpmənt/

act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

difficultadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfəkəlt/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.

Dovermarle

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

From this reading 10 Dovermarle Street.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

Francesca

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

hasn't

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

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

humanitynounUS /hjuːˈmænɪti/

the quality of being humane

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

labelverbUS /ˈleɪbəl/

assign a label to; designate with a label

From this reading Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.

limitedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪmətəd/

small in range or scope

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

personaladjectiveUS /ˈpɜːrsɪnəl/

concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

philanthropistnounUS /fəˈlænθrəpəst/

someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

philanthropistsnounUS /fɪˈlænθrəpɪsts/

plural of “philanthropist” — someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

responsibilitynounUS /riˌspɑːnsəˈbɪləti/

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

Salemina

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading 10 Dovermarle Street.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.

unawareadjectiveUS /ˌʌnəˈwer/

(often followed by “of”) not aware

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

universenounUS /ˈjuːnəvɜːrs/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Francesca is-- It is very difficult to label Francesca.

voguenounUS /voʊɡ/

the popular taste at a given time

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

Chapter 1 of Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Penelope's English Experiences contain?

Chapter 1 holds 79 sentences of Penelope's English Experiences, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 Penelope's English Experiences?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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 Penelope's English Experiences

Common questions about reading Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Penelope's English Experiences?

Yes. All 1348 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1278 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Penelope's English Experiences is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1278, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Penelope's English Experiences take to read?

About 112 minutes of reading across 270 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Penelope's English Experiences section by section

How to work through Penelope's English Experiences section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Penelope's English Experiences to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Penelope's English Experiences

Words and structures a reader meets early in Penelope's English Experiences, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dovermarle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's English Experiences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Street
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's English Experiences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
London
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's English Experiences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Again
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's English Experiences; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.