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The Dearest Things in Boots
The Dearest Things in Boots

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Dearest Things in Boots is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Dearest Things in Boots
Context Illustration Reading 1/125 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.
The songs must be real novelties.
The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.
The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.
With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Dearest Things in Boots

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Dearest Things in Boots is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/125 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.
Line 2
The songs must be real novelties.
/ðə sɔːŋz mʌst biː riːl ˈnɑːvəltiz/
Line 3
The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.
/ðə wɜːrdz mʌst biː ˈɪntrəstɪŋ æz wel æz ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli ˈklevər/
Line 4
The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.
/ðə ˈmjuːzɪk mʌst biː ˈkætʃiː ənd əˈbaʊndɪŋ ɪn rɪtʃ ˈmelədi/
Line 5
With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.
/wɪð ðiːz θɪŋz ɪn maɪnd wiː hæv priˈperd ðɪs lɪst ʌv suːˈpɪriər sɔːŋ ˈnɑːvəltiz fɔːr ˈaʊər ˈpeɪtrənz/

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.

abounding adjective US /əˈbaʊndɪŋ/

existing in abundance

From this reading “The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.”

catchy adjective US /ˈkætʃiː/

having concealed difficulty

From this reading “The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.”

discovering verb US /dɪˈskʌvərɪŋ/

-ing form of “discover” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

From this reading “Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.”

drilled adjective US /drɪld/

trained in a skill by repetitious practice

From this reading “Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.”

novelties noun US /ˈnɑːvəltiz/

plural of “novelty” — originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel

From this reading “The songs must be real novelties.”

novelty noun US /ˈnɑːvəlti/

originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel

From this reading “Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.”

patrons noun US /ˈpeɪtrənz/

plural of “patron” — a regular customer

From this reading “With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.”

Teachers noun US /ˈtiːtʃərz/

plural of “teacher” — a person whose occupation is teaching

From this reading “Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.”

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.

active interest adjective + noun

In this reading “Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.”

list of verb + particle

In this reading “With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

aboundingadjectiveUS /əˈbaʊndɪŋ/

existing in abundance

From this reading The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.

activeadjectiveUS /ˈæktɪv/

tending to become more severe or wider in scope

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

arrangedadjectiveUS /ərˈeɪndʒd/

disposed or placed in a particular kind of order

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.

audiencenounUS /ˈɑːdiəns/

a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The songs must be real novelties.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

catchyadjectiveUS /ˈkætʃiː/

having concealed difficulty

From this reading The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.

cleveradjectiveUS /ˈklevər/

showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others

From this reading The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.

decidedlyadverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪdədli/

without question and beyond doubt

From this reading The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.

discoveringverbUS /dɪˈskʌvərɪŋ/

-ing form of “discover” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

drilledadjectiveUS /drɪld/

trained in a skill by repetitious practice

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

entertainmentnounUS /ˌentərˈteɪnmənt/

an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

how

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

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

interestingadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

arousing or holding the attention

From this reading The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

listverbUS /lɪst/

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

melodynounUS /ˈmelədi/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

noveltiesnounUS /ˈnɑːvəltiz/

plural of “novelty” — originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel

From this reading The songs must be real novelties.

noveltynounUS /ˈnɑːvəlti/

originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

patronsnounUS /ˈpeɪtrənz/

plural of “patron” — a regular customer

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

preparedadjectiveUS /priˈperd/

made ready or fit or suitable beforehand

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

realadjectiveUS /riːl/

being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

From this reading The songs must be real novelties.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody.

songnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

songsnounUS /sɔːŋz/

plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

superioradjectiveUS /suːˈpɪriər/

of high or superior quality or performance

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

TeachersnounUS /ˈtiːtʃərz/

plural of “teacher” — a person whose occupation is teaching

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

thoroughlyadverbUS /ˈθɜːroʊli/

in an exhaustive manner

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

welladverbUS /wel/

(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 Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs.

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever.

Chapter 1 of The Dearest Things in Boots by Edna I. MacKenzie holds 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 Dearest Things in Boots contain?

Chapter 1 holds 627 sentences of The Dearest Things in Boots, unabridged, divided into 126 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Dearest Things in Boots by Edna I. MacKenzie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 Dearest Things in Boots?

Work through the 126 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 126 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 Dearest Things in Boots

Common questions about reading The Dearest Things in Boots by Edna I. MacKenzie on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Dearest Things in Boots?

Yes. All 627 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53425 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Dearest Things in Boots is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53425, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Dearest Things in Boots take to read?

About 52 minutes of reading across 126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Dearest Things in Boots section by section

How to work through The Dearest Things in Boots section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Dearest Things in Boots 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 Dearest Things in Boots

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Dearest Things in Boots, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Teachers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dearest Things in Boots; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Discovering
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dearest Things in Boots; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Matter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dearest Things in Boots; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Novelty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dearest Things in Boots; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.