Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Surprise house is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SURPRISE HOUSE. Illustrated. KISINGTON TOWN. Illustrated. SONGS OF SIXPENCE.
Surprise house
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Surprise house is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
SURPRISE
HOUSE.
Illustrated.
KISINGTON
TOWN.
Illustrated.
SONGS
OF
SIXPENCE.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Surprise house
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Surprise house is here in full — 37 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
SURPRISE
HOUSE.
/sərˈpraɪz haʊs/
Line 2
Illustrated.
/ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
Line 3
KISINGTON
TOWN.
Line 4
Illustrated.
/ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
Line 5
SONGS
OF
SIXPENCE.
Learner Dictionary
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 dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “SURPRISE HOUSE.”
Illustrated
verb
US /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “Illustrated.”
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading “SONGS OF SIXPENCE.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “SURPRISE HOUSE.”
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “KISINGTON TOWN.”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 8
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.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading SURPRISE HOUSE.
IllustratedverbUS /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading Illustrated.
KISINGTON
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KISINGTON TOWN.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SONGS OF SIXPENCE.
SIXPENCEnoun
a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970
From this reading SONGS OF SIXPENCE.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading SONGS OF SIXPENCE.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading SURPRISE HOUSE.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading KISINGTON TOWN.
Chapter 1 of Surprise house by Abbie Farwell Brown holds 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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.
What does chapter 1 of Surprise house contain?
Chapter 1 holds 37 sentences of Surprise house, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Surprise house by Abbie Farwell Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 37 sentences, grouped into 8 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.
How do I study chapter 1 of Surprise house?
Work through the 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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.
Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading Surprise house
Common questions about reading Surprise house by Abbie Farwell Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Surprise house?
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Surprise house is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Surprise house take to read?
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Surprise house section by section
How to work through Surprise house section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Vocabulary met early in Surprise house
Words and structures a reader meets early in Surprise house, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Chapter 1
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- Chapter 2
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- Chapter 3
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