Chapter 1 of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate. “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch. “How long is pretty soon?” Ted Martin wanted to know. He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
Chapter 1 of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach is here in full — 182 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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 travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading “THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.”
enclose with a fence
From this reading “He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.”
a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading “He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.”
a ceremonial procession including people marching
From this reading “THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading ““Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.”
quiet, dark, or concealed
From this reading ““Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.”
a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
From this reading “Ted Martin wanted to know.”
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.”
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 “THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.”
In this reading “He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.”
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 He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
react verbally
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
enclose with a fence
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
an opening into or through something
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How long is pretty soon?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “How long is pretty soon?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Ted Martin wanted to know.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “How long is pretty soon?”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a ceremonial procession including people marching
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
quiet, dark, or concealed
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
in the near future
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
From this reading Ted Martin wanted to know.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
hard to endure
From this reading He was throwing stones at the fence, trying to send them through a knot hole.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Ted Martin wanted to know.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
at the time that
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
which person or people
From this reading “Pretty soon,” was the answer from Mrs. Martin, who was sitting on the shady porch.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading THE CIRCUS PARADE “When will it be time to go, Mother?” asked Janet Martin, as she swung to and fro on the front gate.
Chapter 1 of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach by Howard Roger Garis holds 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 182 sentences of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach by Howard Roger Garis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 182 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Curlytops at Sunset Beach by Howard Roger Garis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3531 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45253 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45253, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 294 minutes of reading across 707 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Curlytops at Sunset Beach section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Curlytops at Sunset Beach 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 Curlytops at Sunset Beach, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
