Chapter 1 of Peter Cotterell's Treasure is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Peter Cotterell's Treasure is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc. John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.” In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints. “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded. “My wardrobe is still upstairs.
Chapter 1 of Peter Cotterell's Treasure is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading “In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.”
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading “Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.”
plural of “footprint” — a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
From this reading “In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.”
possessive form of “heron” — Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading “In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.”
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.”
on a floor above
From this reading ““My wardrobe is still upstairs.”
a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes
From this reading ““My wardrobe is still upstairs.”
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 “In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.”
at or in the front
In this reading “In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.”
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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
a youthful male person
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
taking care or paying attention
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
join tongue and groove, in carpentry
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
plural of “footprint” — a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.
possessive form of “heron” — Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My wardrobe is still upstairs.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My wardrobe is still upstairs.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
plural of “scout” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
not in physical motion
From this reading “My wardrobe is still upstairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
on a floor above
From this reading “My wardrobe is still upstairs.
a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes
From this reading “My wardrobe is still upstairs.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”
Chapter 1 of Peter Cotterell's Treasure by Rupert Sargent Holland holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of Peter Cotterell's Treasure, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Peter Cotterell's Treasure by Rupert Sargent Holland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Peter Cotterell's Treasure by Rupert Sargent Holland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4369 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43670 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43670, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 364 minutes of reading across 874 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peter Cotterell's Treasure section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Peter Cotterell's Treasure 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 Peter Cotterell's Treasure, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
