Chapter 1 of Peterkin is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Peterkin is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WE were all at tea in the nursery. All except him. The door burst open and James put his head in. 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse. Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
Chapter 1 of Peterkin is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “The door burst open and James put his head in.”
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading “Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “The door burst open and James put his head in.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'”
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading “'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.”
a child's room for a baby
From this reading “WE were all at tea in the nursery.”
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “WE were all at tea in the nursery.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'”
In this reading “WE were all at tea in the nursery.”
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.
(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 WE were all at tea in the nursery.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
apart from; not including
From this reading All except him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All except him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
a child's room for a baby
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The door burst open and James put his head in.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Mamma calls her 'Brough' sometimes, but we always call her 'nurse,' of course,--'If you please, Mrs. Brough, is Master Peterkin here?'
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading WE were all at tea in the nursery.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'If you please, Mrs. Brough,' he began,--'Mrs. Brough' is the servants' name for nurse.
Chapter 1 of Peterkin by Mrs. Molesworth holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 234 sentences of Peterkin, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Peterkin by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Peterkin by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2486 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26322, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peterkin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Peterkin 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 Peterkin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
