Chapter 1 of Probable Sons is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Probable Sons is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNWELCOME LEGACY. "Children! They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack. Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me! And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
Chapter 1 of Probable Sons is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
a person who is loathsome or disgusting
From this reading “They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!”
every person
From this reading “They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.”
(law) a gift of personal property by will
From this reading “AN UNWELCOME LEGACY.”
(law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive
From this reading “They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.”
plural of “puzzle” — a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading “Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!”
not welcome; not giving pleasure or received with pleasure
From this reading “AN UNWELCOME LEGACY.”
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 They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
a person who is loathsome or disgusting
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
how long something has existed
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNWELCOME LEGACY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
any thing at all
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading "Children!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
every person
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
a young female
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
a small worthless amount
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
(law) a gift of personal property by will
From this reading AN UNWELCOME LEGACY.
engage in
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
(law) a broad legal concept including anything that disturbs the reasonable use of your property or endangers life and health or is offensive
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
plural of “puzzle” — a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
express a supposition
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
up to a particular time
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
not welcome; not giving pleasure or received with pleasure
From this reading AN UNWELCOME LEGACY.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me!
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading And I suppose if anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you know, Jack.
Chapter 1 of Probable Sons by Amy Le Feuvre holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 81 sentences of Probable Sons, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Probable Sons by Amy Le Feuvre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Probable Sons by Amy Le Feuvre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1241 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10777, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 103 minutes of reading across 249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Probable Sons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Probable Sons 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 Probable Sons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
