Chapter I
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of Penelope's Progress is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY MRS. WIGGIN. THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL. Illustrated. Square 12mo, 50 cents.
Penelope's Progress
Chapter I · Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of Penelope's Progress is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
BY
MRS.
WIGGIN.
THE
BIRDS'
CHRISTMAS
CAROL.
Illustrated.
Square
12mo,
50
cents.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Penelope's Progress
Chapter I · Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of Penelope's Progress is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
BY
MRS.
/baɪ ˈmɪsɪz/
Line 2
WIGGIN.
Line 3
THE
BIRDS'
CHRISTMAS
CAROL.
/ðə bɜːrdz ˈkrɪsməs ˈkærəl/
Line 4
Illustrated.
/ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
Line 5
Square
12mo,
50
cents.
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.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.”
carol
noun
US /ˈkærəl/
joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ
From this reading “THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.”
cents
noun
US /sents/
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “Square 12mo, 50 cents.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.”
Illustrated
verb
US /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “Illustrated.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “BY MRS.”
make square
From this reading “Square 12mo, 50 cents.”
All words in this reading · 13
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.
12
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Square 12mo, 50 cents.
50
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Square 12mo, 50 cents.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY MRS.
CAROLnounUS /ˈkærəl/
joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ
From this reading THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.
centsnounUS /sents/
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading Square 12mo, 50 cents.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.
IllustratedverbUS /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading Illustrated.
monounUS /moʊ/
an indefinitely short time
From this reading Square 12mo, 50 cents.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading BY MRS.
make square
From this reading Square 12mo, 50 cents.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS CAROL.
WIGGIN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WIGGIN.
Chapter 1 of Penelope's Progress by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Penelope's Progress contain?
Chapter 1 holds 414 sentences of Penelope's Progress, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Penelope's Progress by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Progress?
Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Progress
Common questions about reading Penelope's Progress by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Penelope's Progress?
Yes. All 2492 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28877 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Penelope's Progress is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #28877, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Penelope's Progress take to read?
About 207 minutes of reading across 499 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Penelope's Progress section by section
How to work through Penelope's Progress section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Penelope's Progress to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Penelope's Progress
Words and structures a reader meets early in Penelope's Progress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Wiggin
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's Progress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Birds'
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's Progress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Christmas
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's Progress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Carol
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Penelope's Progress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.