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.
They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke. "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit. "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather. "Why?" asked Kat. Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 18/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 86–90
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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “"To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.”
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “"To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.”
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading “They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “"Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.”
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 “"Why?" asked Kat.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “"Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.”
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.”
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading “"Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.”
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 They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
(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 "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
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 "Why?" asked Kat.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
above and across; more than
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
cut with a saw
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
transport commercially
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They saw a great ship sail slowly by, making a cloud of smoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
at the time that
From this reading Kat almost always said "Why?" and when she didn't, Kit did.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where do the ships go, Grandfather?" asked Kit.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?" asked Kat.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "To America, and England, and China, and all over the world," said Grandfather.
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.
