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.
You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it. So he asked Kat to do it. Kat wasn't afraid. She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?" Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 57/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 281–285
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.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading “Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.”
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading “Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.”
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 “So he asked Kat to do it.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"”
plural of “onion” — the bulb of an onion plant
From this reading “She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"”
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 “She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"”
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 She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Kat wasn't afraid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading So he asked Kat to do it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading So he asked Kat to do it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So he asked Kat to do it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
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 So he asked Kat to do it.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
plural of “onion” — the bulb of an onion plant
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he asked Kat to do it.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So he asked Kat to do it.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
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 She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
precisely as stated
From this reading Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She took out a little pile of onions in a measure, and said to Vrouw Van der Kloot, "Is that ten?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kat wasn't afraid.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then Vrouw Van der Kloot counted them with Kat, very carefully.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You see, really Kit couldn't count ten and be sure of it.
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.
