Chapter 1 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
January 15, 1831. How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen! Well, I don't see as I can help it. There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
Chapter 1 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 324 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading “There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.”
brought into existence
From this reading “There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.”
of a dreadful kind
From this reading “How dreadfully old I am getting!”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “How dreadfully old I am getting!”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “January 15, 1831.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “Sixteen!”
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 January 15, 1831.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading January 15, 1831.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading How dreadfully old I am getting!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Well, I don't see as I can help it.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
brought into existence
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Well, I don't see as I can help it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, I don't see as I can help it.
of a dreadful kind
From this reading How dreadfully old I am getting!
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading How dreadfully old I am getting!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Well, I don't see as I can help it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How dreadfully old I am getting!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading How dreadfully old I am getting!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Well, I don't see as I can help it.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading January 15, 1831.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading How dreadfully old I am getting!
have ownership or possession of
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Well, I don't see as I can help it.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading Sixteen!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There it is in the big Bible in father's own hand: "Katherine, born Jan.
(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, I don't see as I can help it.
Chapter 1 of Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss holds 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 324 sentences of Stepping Heavenward, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 324 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2515, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1141 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stepping Heavenward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Stepping Heavenward 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 Stepping Heavenward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
