Chapter 1 of Queechy, Volume I is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Queechy, Volume I is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay. BYRON. "Come, dear grandpa! the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready." "Well, dear!
Chapter 1 of Queechy, Volume I is here in full — 294 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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 particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading “A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.”
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading “BYRON.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “"Come, dear grandpa!”
female equine animal
From this reading “ the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."”
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading “A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading “ the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."”
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 A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
(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 A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading BYRON.
rid of obstructions
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come, dear grandpa!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
dearly loved
From this reading "Come, dear grandpa!
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading "Come, dear grandpa!
an old form of “has”
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
female equine animal
From this reading the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."
not any; not one
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading the old mare and the wagon are at the gate all ready."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, dear!
at the time that
From this reading A single cloud on a sunny day, When all the rest of heaven is clear, A frown upon the atmosphere, That hath no business to appear, When skies are blue and earth is gay.
Chapter 1 of Queechy, Volume I by Susan Warner holds 294 sentences, grouped into 59 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 294 sentences of Queechy, Volume I, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Queechy, Volume I by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 294 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Queechy, Volume I by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8006 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18690 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18690, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1602 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Queechy, Volume I section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Queechy, Volume I 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 Queechy, Volume I, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
