Chapter 1 of Silverthorns is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Silverthorns is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Silverthorns, by Mrs Molesworth. ________________________________________________________________________ SILVERTHORNS, BY MRS MOLESWORTH. CHAPTER ONE. CHARLOTTE AND JERRY. The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
Chapter 1 of Silverthorns is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading “The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “CHAPTER ONE.”
the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina
From this reading “CHARLOTTE AND JERRY.”
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.”
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “CHARLOTTE AND JERRY.”
port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy
From this reading “The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.”
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading “The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CHARLOTTE AND JERRY.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Silverthorns, by Mrs Molesworth.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina
From this reading CHARLOTTE AND JERRY.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading CHARLOTTE AND JERRY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Silverthorns, by Mrs Molesworth.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Silverthorns, by Mrs Molesworth.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Silverthorns, by Mrs Molesworth.
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The school-room at Number 19, Norfolk Terrace, was not, it must be confessed, a particularly attractive room.
Chapter 1 of Silverthorns by Mrs. Molesworth holds 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 456 sentences of Silverthorns, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Silverthorns by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Silverthorns by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43122 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43122, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 718 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Silverthorns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Silverthorns 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 Silverthorns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
