Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RUDYARD KIPLING. (In “The Just So Stories.”) MY SHADOW. “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant. I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 29/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 141–145
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.
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading “I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.”
still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
From this reading ““My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.”
English author of novels and poetry who was born in India (1865-1936)
From this reading “RUDYARD KIPLING.”
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading “I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.”
plural of “poem” — a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
From this reading ““My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.”
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading ““My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.”
Scottish author (1850-1894)
From this reading ““My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.”
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “(In “The Just So Stories.”)”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
at any time
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading (In “The Just So Stories.”)
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
and nothing more
From this reading (In “The Just So Stories.”)
English author of novels and poetry who was born in India (1865-1936)
From this reading RUDYARD KIPLING.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
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 I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
used to form the superlative
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY SHADOW.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
plural of “poem” — a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RUDYARD KIPLING.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading MY SHADOW.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading (In “The Just So Stories.”)
Scottish author (1850-1894)
From this reading “My Shadow,” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most popular short poems extant.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading (In “The Just So Stories.”)
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading (In “The Just So Stories.”)
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
precisely as stated
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading I have taught it to a great many very young boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it.
Chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Poems Every Child Should Know, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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.
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