Chapter 1 of The Bountiful Lady is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Bountiful Lady is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
--or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1. _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3. _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4. _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5. _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
Chapter 1 of The Bountiful Lady is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
plural of “counter” — table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading “_Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.”
showing or experiencing dissatisfaction or restless longing
From this reading “_The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.”
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading “_Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.”
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading “_Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.”
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “--or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.”
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading “_Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.”
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading “_Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.”
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 “_Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.”
a youthful female person
In this reading “--or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.”
In this reading “_Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.”
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 --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
a youthful male person
From this reading _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
plural of “counter” — table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.
showing or experiencing dissatisfaction or restless longing
From this reading _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
a young female
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading _Mary finds herself in a different place_ 3.
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
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 _The Story of the Discontented Boy and the Magician_ 5.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
precisely as stated
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading --or, How Mary was changed from a very Miserable Little Girl to a very Happy One 1.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _Mary sees what the Magic Counters can do_ 4.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading _Mary sees the wings, as well as some other wonderful things_ 7.
Chapter 1 of The Bountiful Lady by Thomas Cobb holds 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 452 sentences of The Bountiful Lady, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Bountiful Lady by Thomas Cobb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Bountiful Lady by Thomas Cobb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1360 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30446 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30446, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 272 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bountiful Lady section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Bountiful Lady 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 Bountiful Lady, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
