Chapter 1 of Sunny Boy in the Big City is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Sunny Boy in the Big City is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply. The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey. That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear. "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak. "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
Chapter 1 of Sunny Boy in the Big City is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading “The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.”
spread out or scattered about or divided up
From this reading “The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.”
be obedient to
From this reading “The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.”
with patience; in a patient manner
From this reading “"I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.”
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading “The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “"Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “"Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.”
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.
In this reading “That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.”
In this reading “The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.”
In this reading “"I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.”
In this reading “The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.”
break down, literally or metaphorically
In this reading “"Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.”
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 That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
(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 That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
spread out or scattered about or divided up
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
apart from; not including
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading "Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
be obedient to
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
above and across; more than
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
with patience; in a patient manner
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
recurring again and again
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading "Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
express in speech
From this reading "I said 'Fall in,'" repeated Sunny Boy patiently, as a general should speak.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading "Fall in!" said Sunny Boy sharply.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The army, six small boys distributed comfortably over the front steps, scrambled to obey.
which person or people
From this reading That is, all except one, who remained seated, a sea shell held over each ear.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I heard you the first time," admitted the small soldier.
Chapter 1 of Sunny Boy in the Big City by Ramy Allison White holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of Sunny Boy in the Big City, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Sunny Boy in the Big City by Ramy Allison White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Sunny Boy in the Big City by Ramy Allison White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27052 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27052, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 174 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sunny Boy in the Big City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Sunny Boy in the Big City 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 Sunny Boy in the Big City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
