Chapter 1 of Pretty Tales for the Nursery is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Pretty Tales for the Nursery is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NURSERY. FANNY'S BIRTHDAY. Here is a nice new book! It is mine. Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
Chapter 1 of Pretty Tales for the Nursery is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading “FANNY'S BIRTHDAY.”
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “Here is a nice new book!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.”
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It is mine.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “Here is a nice new book!”
a child's room for a baby
From this reading “NURSERY.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Here is a nice new book!
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading FANNY'S BIRTHDAY.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Here is a nice new book!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FANNY'S BIRTHDAY.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here is a nice new book!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here is a nice new book!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is mine.
and nothing more
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It is mine.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Here is a nice new book!
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading Here is a nice new book!
a child's room for a baby
From this reading NURSERY.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
a late time of life
From this reading Papa has just given it to me, for this is my birth-day, and I am five years old.
Chapter 1 of Pretty Tales for the Nursery by Isabel Thompson holds 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 498 sentences of Pretty Tales for the Nursery, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Pretty Tales for the Nursery by Isabel Thompson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 Pretty Tales for the Nursery by Isabel Thompson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 498 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25469 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25469, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 41 minutes of reading across 100 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pretty Tales for the Nursery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Pretty Tales for the Nursery 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 Pretty Tales for the Nursery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
