Chapter 1 of The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Secret societies! Whew! I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.” The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject. The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
Chapter 1 of The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
with equanimity
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
plural of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading ““Secret societies!”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.”
a society that conceals its activities from nonmembers
In this reading ““Secret societies!”
In this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
the final statement in a verbal argument
In this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
In this reading “The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.”
In this reading “The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.”
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 The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
a youthful male person
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
with equanimity
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
immediately past
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
staying power
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
an educational institution
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “Secret societies!
being one more than fifteen
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
plural of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading “Secret societies!
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I’m glad they don’t have them at our school.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
communicated in words
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whew!
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The two girls to whom the remark was addressed listened eagerly.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The speaker, a boy of sixteen, perched himself upon the porch railing, and swung his legs contentedly, as if he had uttered the last word on the subject.
Chapter 1 of The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School by Edith Lavell holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 109 sentences of The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School by Edith Lavell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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.
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About 274 minutes of reading across 658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen's School, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
