Chapter 1 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly: "Mariquita! A word in your ear! Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?" "Not at all.
Chapter 1 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
possessive form of “robert” — United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
used of hair; thick and poorly groomed
From this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
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 “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
In this reading “Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"”
In this reading “As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:”
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"”
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 As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
(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 "Not at all.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Not at all.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading A word in your ear!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mariquita!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not at all.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
possessive form of “robert” — United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
used of hair; thick and poorly groomed
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
carry out
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading A word in your ear!
the act of creating written works
From this reading As Peggy sat writing in the study one afternoon, a shaggy head came peering round the door, and Robert's voice said eagerly:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Could you come out and take a turn round the garden for half an hour before tea, or are you too busy?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A word in your ear!
Chapter 1 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 by Various holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 233 sentences of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1193 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50798 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50798, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 239 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898 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 Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 991, December 24, 1898, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
