Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Adventures of a Freshman
The Adventures of a Freshman

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Adventures of a Freshman is here in full — 10 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Adventures of a Freshman
Context Illustration Reading 1/2 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....
We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.
Young recognised him as the one....
"Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."
The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Adventures of a Freshman

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Adventures of a Freshman is here in full — 10 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/2 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....
Line 2
We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.
Line 3
Young recognised him as the one....
/jʌŋ ˈrekəɡnaɪzd hɪm æz ðə wʌn/
Line 4
"Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."
Line 5
The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

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.

awhile adverb US /əˈwaɪl/

for a short time

From this reading “"Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."”

chatter verb US /ˈtʃætər/

click repeatedly or uncontrollably

From this reading “"Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."”

Encounter verb US /ɪnˈkaʊntər/

come together

From this reading “Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....”

Freshman noun US /ˈfreʃmən/

a first-year undergraduate

From this reading “Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....”

Princeton noun US /ˈprɪnstən/

a university town in central New Jersey

From this reading “Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....”

prominent adjective US /ˈprɑːmənənt/

having a quality that thrusts itself into attention

From this reading “The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.”

Sophomore noun US /ˈsɑːfmɔːr/

a second-year undergraduate

From this reading “We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.”

Sophomores noun US /ˈsɑːfmɔːrz/

plural of “sophomore” — a second-year undergraduate

From this reading “Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....”

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.

most prominent adverb + adjective

In this reading “The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.”

sit up verb + adjective

not go to bed

In this reading “"Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."”

take off verb + particle

leave

In this reading “We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.”

Encounter with verb + particle

In this reading “Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

70

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Young recognised him as the one....

AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

awhileadverbUS /əˈwaɪl/

for a short time

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

Bell-Clapper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

chatterverbUS /ˈtʃætər/

click repeatedly or uncontrollably

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

classnounUS /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

EncounterverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntər/

come together

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

FreshmannounUS /ˈfreʃmən/

a first-year undergraduate

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

Frontispiecenoun

an ornamental facade

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

hatnounUS /hæt/

headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

haunches

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

HeronounUS /ˈhɪroʊ/

a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

LeenounUS /liː/

United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

NewspapernounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Young recognised him as the one....

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

popularadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːpjələr/

regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

PrincetonnounUS /ˈprɪnstən/

a university town in central New Jersey

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

prominentadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːmənənt/

having a quality that thrusts itself into attention

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

recognisedadjectiveUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzd/

provided with a secure reputation

From this reading Young recognised him as the one....

secondsnounUS /ˈsekəndz/

plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

sitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

SophomorenounUS /ˈsɑːfmɔːr/

a second-year undergraduate

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

SophomoresnounUS /ˈsɑːfmɔːrz/

plural of “sophomore” — a second-year undergraduate

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

Squeedunk

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

StolenverbUS /ˈstoʊlən/

inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

StoriesnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

StorynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

uglyadjectiveUS /ˈʌɡli/

displeasing to the senses

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

walkedverbUS /wɔːkt/

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The Hero of the Bell-Clapper 70 Lee was one of the most prominent and popular men in the class.

We'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We'll give you just five seconds to take off that ugly hat, and if you don't----" In walked ... the little Sophomore, and behind him a very big Sophomore.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Author of "Princeton Stories" and "The Stolen Story and other Newspaper Stories" The First Encounter with the Sophomores _Frontispiece_ "You big, green Freshman from Squeedunk....

YoungadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Young recognised him as the one....

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."

Chapter 1 of The Adventures of a Freshman by Jesse Lynch Williams holds 10 sentences, grouped into 2 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 The Adventures of a Freshman contain?

Chapter 1 holds 10 sentences of The Adventures of a Freshman, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Adventures of a Freshman by Jesse Lynch Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 10 sentences, grouped into 2 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 The Adventures of a Freshman?

Work through the 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 2 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 The Adventures of a Freshman

Common questions about reading The Adventures of a Freshman by Jesse Lynch Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Adventures of a Freshman?

Yes. All 2078 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34986 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Adventures of a Freshman is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34986, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Adventures of a Freshman take to read?

About 173 minutes of reading across 416 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Adventures of a Freshman section by section

How to work through The Adventures of a Freshman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Adventures of a Freshman to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Adventures of a Freshman

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Adventures of a Freshman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of a Freshman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Princeton
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of a Freshman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stories
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of a Freshman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stolen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of a Freshman; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.