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.
"Girls can't," said Kit. But Grandfather shook his head and said: "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina. There's no telling what girls will do anyway. But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 20/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 96–100
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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “There's no telling what girls will do anyway.”
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."”
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."”
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “"Girls can't," said Kit.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “But Grandfather shook his head and said:”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “"Girls can't," said Kit.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “But Grandfather shook his head and said:”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “There's no telling what girls will do anyway.”
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 "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But Grandfather shook his head and said:
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading There's no telling what girls will do anyway.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Grandfather shook his head and said:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Girls can't," said Kit.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There's no telling what girls will do anyway.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
a young female
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "Girls can't," said Kit.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading But Grandfather shook his head and said:
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading But Grandfather shook his head and said:
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But Grandfather shook his head and said:
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading "Girls can't," said Kit.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
not any; not one
From this reading There's no telling what girls will do anyway.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Girls can't," said Kit.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading But Grandfather shook his head and said:
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
express in words
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading There's no telling what girls will do anyway.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's no telling what girls will do anyway.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But, children, if we stay here we shall not catch any fish."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading There's no telling what girls will do anyway.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You can't tell what a girl may be by the time she's four feet and a half high and is called Katrina.
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.
