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Prince Prigio
Prince Prigio

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Prince Prigio is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Prince Prigio
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.
Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Prince Prigio

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Prince Prigio is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.
Line 2
Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
Line 3
With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
Line 4
This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
/ðɪs vekst ðə kɪŋ ˈiːvɪn mɔːr ðæn ðə kwiːn huː wɑːz ˈveri ˈklevər ənd lɜːrnd ənd huː hæd ˈheɪtəd dɑːlz wen ʃiː wɑːz ə tʃaɪld/
Line 5
However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
/ˌhaʊˈevər ʃiː tuː ɪn spaɪt ʌv ɔːl ðə bʊks ʃiː red ənd ɔːl ðə ˈpɪktʃərz ʃiː ˈpeɪntɪd wʊd hæv bɪn ɡlæd ɪˈnʌf tuː biː ðə ˈmʌðər ʌv ə ˈlɪtəl prɪns/

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.

dolls noun US /dɑːlz/

plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy

From this reading “This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.”

Fairies noun US /ˈferiz/

plural of “fairy” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading “_How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.”

hated adjective US /ˈheɪtəd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading “This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.”

Invited verb US /ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd/

past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of

From this reading “_How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.”

painted adjective US /ˈpeɪntɪd/

coated with paint

From this reading “However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.”

pictures noun US /ˈpɪktʃərz/

plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading “However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.”

reigned verb US /reɪnd/

past form of “reign” — have sovereign power

From this reading “Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.”

vexed adjective US /vekst/

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

From this reading “This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

cleveradjectiveUS /ˈklevər/

showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

dollsnounUS /dɑːlz/

plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

else

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

FairiesnounUS /ˈferiz/

plural of “fairy” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

hatedadjectiveUS /ˈheɪtəd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

HoweveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

InvitedverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd/

past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

kingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

OnceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

paintedadjectiveUS /ˈpeɪntɪd/

coated with paint

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

Pantouflia

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

picturesnounUS /ˈpɪktʃərz/

plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

princenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

queennounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

reignedverbUS /reɪnd/

past form of “reign” — have sovereign power

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Once upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

vexedadjectiveUS /vekst/

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

wantedadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːntɪd/

desired or wished for or sought

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading _How the Fairies were not Invited to Court_.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading However, she, too in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.

Chapter 1 of Prince Prigio by Andrew Lang holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 Prince Prigio contain?

Chapter 1 holds 51 sentences of Prince Prigio, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Prince Prigio by Andrew Lang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 Prince Prigio?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 Prince Prigio

Common questions about reading Prince Prigio by Andrew Lang on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Prince Prigio?

Yes. All 909 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20850 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Prince Prigio is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #20850, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Prince Prigio take to read?

About 75 minutes of reading across 182 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Prince Prigio section by section

How to work through Prince Prigio section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of Prince Prigio to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Prince Prigio

Words and structures a reader meets early in Prince Prigio, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Fairies
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prince Prigio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Invited
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prince Prigio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Court
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prince Prigio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reigned
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Prince Prigio; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.