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 each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other. "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat. They saw all sorts of strange things in the market. There were tables piled high with flowers. There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 61/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 301–305
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.
plural of “cage” — an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.”
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 “"The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “"The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.”
the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold
From this reading “They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.”
past form of “pile” — arrange in stacks
From this reading “There were tables piled high with flowers.”
a compartment in a stable where a single animal is confined and fed
From this reading “There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.”
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “There were tables piled high with flowers.”
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading “They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.”
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 There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
(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 They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
plural of “cage” — an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading There were tables piled high with flowers.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading There were tables piled high with flowers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
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 "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
the world of commercial activity where goods and services are bought and sold
From this reading They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
past form of “pile” — arrange in stacks
From this reading There were tables piled high with flowers.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
cut with a saw
From this reading They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
a compartment in a stable where a single animal is confined and fed
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading There were tables piled high with flowers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were tables piled high with flowers.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading They saw all sorts of strange things in the market.
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
precisely as stated
From this reading "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a stall full of birds in cages, singing away with all their might.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were tables piled high with flowers.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They each held the money tightly shut in one hand, and with the other hand they held on to each other.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "The world is very large," said Kit and Kat.
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.
