Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter. Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down. The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher. Kat worked until her arms ached. "Now it's my turn," said Kit.
Chapter 1 of The Dutch Twins is here in full — 511 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 91/102 · 5 reading units · Lines 451–455
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.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading “Kat worked until her arms ached.”
stir (cream) vigorously in order to make butter
From this reading “The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.”
the best people or things in a group
From this reading “The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.”
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 “Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.”
plural of “spatter” — the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively
From this reading “The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.”
(of a fluid) having been propelled about in flying drops or masses
From this reading “The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.”
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading “Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.”
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 Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading Kat worked until her arms ached.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Kat worked until her arms ached.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
an edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
stir (cream) vigorously in order to make butter
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
the best people or things in a group
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Kat worked until her arms ached.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now it's my turn," said Kit.
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 Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Now it's my turn," said Kit.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now it's my turn," said Kit.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now it's my turn," said Kit.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
plural of “spatter” — the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
(of a fluid) having been propelled about in flying drops or masses
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
a simple seat without a back or arms
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "Now it's my turn," said Kit.
up to a particular time
From this reading Kat worked until her arms ached.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Kit sat on a little stool and watched for the butter.
a Caucasian
From this reading The cream splashed and splashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came up around the dasher.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down.
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.
