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The Dutch Twins
The Dutch Twins

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Dutch Twins
Context Illustration Reading 60/102 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.
They learned to count ten and to do several other things.
Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.
Then come back here to me."
Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Dutch Twins

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 60/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 296–300

Line 1
The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.
Line 2
They learned to count ten and to do several other things.
/ðeɪ lɜːrnd tuː kaʊnt ten ənd tuː duː ˈsevrəl ˈʌðər θɪŋz/
Line 3
Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.
Line 4
Then come back here to me."
/ðen kʌm bæk hiːr tuː miː/
Line 5
Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.
/kɪt ənd kæt set fɔːrθ ɑːn ðer ˈtrævəlz tuː siː ðə wɜːrld/

Learner Dictionary

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.

cabbage noun US /ˈkæbədʒ/

any of various types of cabbage

From this reading “Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.”

costs noun US /kɑːsts/

pecuniary reimbursement to the winning party for the expenses of litigation

From this reading “Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.”

Kat noun US /kæt/

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 “Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.”

Kit noun US /kɪt/

a case for containing a set of articles

From this reading “Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.”

onions noun US /ˈʌnjənz/

plural of “onion” — the bulb of an onion plant

From this reading “Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.”

stalls noun US /stɔːlz/

a farm building for housing horses or other livestock

From this reading “Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.”

travels noun US /ˈtrævəlz/

plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another

From this reading “Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.”

Twins noun US /twɪnz/

(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other

From this reading “The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Then come back here to me."

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

buyverbUS /baɪ/

obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

cabbagenounUS /ˈkæbədʒ/

any of various types of cabbage

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

centsnounUS /sents/

plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Then come back here to me."

costsnounUS /kɑːsts/

pecuniary reimbursement to the winning party for the expenses of litigation

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

countverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

der

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

helpedverbUS /helpt/

past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Then come back here to me."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

KatnounUS /kæt/

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 Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

KitnounUS /kɪt/

a case for containing a set of articles

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

Kloot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

marketnounUS /ˈmɑːrkət/

the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then come back here to me."

moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

onionsnounUS /ˈʌnjənz/

plural of “onion” — the bulb of an onion plant

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

soldadjectiveUS /soʊld/

disposed of to a purchaser

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

stallsnounUS /stɔːlz/

a farm building for housing horses or other livestock

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They learned to count ten and to do several other things.

travelsnounUS /ˈtrævəlz/

plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

TwinsnounUS /twɪnz/

(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

VannounUS /væn/

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 their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

Vedder

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Twins helped Father Vedder a long time.

Vrouw

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

walknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Kit and Kat set forth on their travels, to see the world.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Then their father gave them the money for the cabbage and the ten onions they had sold to Vrouw Van der Kloot, and said, "You may walk around the market and look in all the stalls, and buy the thing you like best that costs just two cents.

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.

What does chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins contain?

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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Dutch Twins

Common questions about reading The Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Dutch Twins?

Yes. All 1516 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4012 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Dutch Twins is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4012, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Dutch Twins take to read?

About 126 minutes of reading across 304 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Dutch Twins section by section

How to work through The Dutch Twins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Dutch Twins to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Dutch Twins

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Dutch Twins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Belongs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dutch Twins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lawrence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dutch Twins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Other
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dutch Twins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Children
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dutch Twins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.