Chapter 1 of T. Tembarom is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of T. Tembarom is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for. He would never tell them. All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'. You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?” His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
Chapter 1 of T. Tembarom is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading “His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.”
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading “The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.”
a borough of New York City
From this reading “The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.”
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading “His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.”
the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)
From this reading “His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.”
making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
From this reading “His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.”
an educational institution
From this reading “The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.”
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 You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
(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 All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
a borough of New York City
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He would never tell them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
an educational institution
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His name was, in fact, an almost inevitable school-boy modification of one felt to be absurd and pretentious.
be standing; be upright
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
express in words
From this reading He would never tell them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He would never tell them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All he said in reply to questions was: “It don't stand for nothin'.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The boys at the Brooklyn public school which he attended did not know what the “T.” stood for.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would never tell them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You've gotter have a' 'nitial, ain't you?”
Chapter 1 of T. Tembarom by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 156 sentences of T. Tembarom, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of T. Tembarom by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 T. Tembarom by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12182 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2514 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2514, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2437 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through T. Tembarom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of T. Tembarom 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 T. Tembarom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
