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.
Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted." Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute. Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes. Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast. They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 11/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 51–55
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.
past form of “bounce” — spring back; spring away from an impact
From this reading “Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.”
a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids
From this reading “Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.”
plural of “cabbage” — any of various types of cabbage
From this reading “Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."”
the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway
From this reading “They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.”
the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea; has the effect of a euphoric stimulant
From this reading “Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.”
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading “Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.”
(used especially of ideas or principles) deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held
From this reading “Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."”
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 Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
past form of “bounce” — spring back; spring away from an impact
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
plural of “cabbage” — any of various types of cabbage
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
clothing in general
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway
From this reading They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea; has the effect of a euphoric stimulant
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
and nothing more
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute.
(used especially of ideas or principles) deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
a particular situation
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."
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.
