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.
This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms. You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages. They sat on them, instead. But that was an accident. Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 12/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 56–60
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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “But that was an accident.”
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading “Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.”
plural of “cabbage” — any of various types of cabbage
From this reading “You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.”
the act of digging
From this reading “This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.”
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading “Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.”
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 “This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.”
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.”
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 This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading But that was an accident.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But that was an accident.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But that was an accident.
plural of “cabbage” — any of various types of cabbage
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
the act of digging
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading They sat on them, instead.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
and nothing more
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
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 This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
engage in
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat on them, instead.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But that was an accident.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They sat on them, instead.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But that was an accident.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home.
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages.
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.
