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.
"We're going to help him sell things." "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot. Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe. Kit got a cabbage for the Vrouw. "You can get the ten onions," he said to Kat.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 56/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 276–280
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.
any of various types of cabbage
From this reading “"Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.”
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 “"You can get the ten onions," he said to Kat.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “Kit got a cabbage for the Vrouw.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.”
plural of “onion” — the bulb of an onion plant
From this reading “"Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.”
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “"Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.”
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 "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
any of various types of cabbage
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You can get the ten onions," he said to Kat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Kit got a cabbage for the Vrouw.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You can get the ten onions," he said to Kat.
the act of departing
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Kit got a cabbage for the Vrouw.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
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 "You can get the ten onions," he said to Kat.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Kit got a cabbage for the Vrouw.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
provided with artificial light
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
plural of “onion” — the bulb of an onion plant
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Kit got a cabbage for the Vrouw.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Father Vedder's eyes twinkled, and he lit his pipe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We're going to help him sell things."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then you may sell me a cabbage and ten onions," said Vrouw Van der Kloot.
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.
