Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard! She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins! By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner! Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen." Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 101/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 501–505
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.
soft light-colored non-durable wood of the poplar
From this reading “She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.”
made clean by scrubbing
From this reading “She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!”
a particular situation
From this reading “Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."”
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading “She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!”
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading “She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!”
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading “Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!”
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 Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
divisible by two
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
all things; all of a situation
From this reading She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!
apart from; not including
From this reading She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
and nothing more
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
go away from a place
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
and nothing more
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
soft light-colored non-durable wood of the poplar
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
made clean by scrubbing
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
a particular situation
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
an instance of visual perception
From this reading She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By and by she came to the door and called, "Come to dinner!
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She scrubbed everything in sight, except Father Vedder and the Twins!
at the time that
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of the poplar tree in the yard!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, when you come into my clean kitchen."
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins holds 511 sentences, grouped into 103 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 511 sentences of The Dutch Twins, unabridged, divided into 103 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 511 sentences, grouped into 103 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 103 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 103 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 Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1516 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4012 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4012, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 126 minutes of reading across 304 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dutch Twins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Dutch Twins 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 Dutch Twins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
