Chapter 1 of Sparrows is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Sparrows is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!" "'Sh! Not so loud. Fat'll hear yo'." "Lor' a mercy!
Chapter 1 of Sparrows is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “Not so loud.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “"Lor' a mercy!”
plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading “Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"”
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"”
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading “Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"”
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading “Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"”
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 Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Lor' a mercy!
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fat'll hear yo'."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Fat'll hear yo'."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Lor' a mercy!
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Not so loud.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading "Lor' a mercy!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Sh!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Not so loud.
plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
for that reason; as a result
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading Made in the United States of America "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."--Matt. x, 31 "On, lookit--lookit!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fat'll hear yo'."
Chapter 1 of Sparrows by Marie Coolidge-Rask holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 139 sentences of Sparrows, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Sparrows by Marie Coolidge-Rask exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Sparrows by Marie Coolidge-Rask on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sparrows section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Sparrows 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 Sparrows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
