Chapter 1 of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_. 2 _Outside the Door_. 3 _The Miser's Cave_. 4 _A Closet in the Fairy's Palace_. 5 _A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace_.
Chapter 1 of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird is here in full — 485 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading “_A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.”
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
large room used mainly for dancing
From this reading “5 _A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace_.”
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading “4 _A Closet in the Fairy's Palace_.”
being one more than ten
From this reading “_A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “_A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.”
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
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 “_A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.”
In this reading “_A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.”
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 _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2 _Outside the Door_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3 _The Miser's Cave_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4 _A Closet in the Fairy's Palace_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 5 _A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace_.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
large room used mainly for dancing
From this reading 5 _A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace_.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading 3 _The Miser's Cave_.
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading 4 _A Closet in the Fairy's Palace_.
a small house with a single story
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading 2 _Outside the Door_.
being one more than ten
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4 _A Closet in the Fairy's Palace_.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3 _The Miser's Cave_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading 2 _Outside the Door_.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading 4 _A Closet in the Fairy's Palace_.
participate in games or sport
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes_ (_arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage_) _Scene_ 1 _The Wood-cutter's Cottage_.
Chapter 1 of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck holds 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 485 sentences of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 485 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34343 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34343, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 122 minutes of reading across 294 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird 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 The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
