Chapter 1 of The Happy Venture is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Happy Venture is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"'How should I your true love know, From another one? By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'" It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song. Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat. "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
Chapter 1 of The Happy Venture is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
common edible European bivalve
From this reading “By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"”
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading “"Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.”
genus of tropical African herbs or subshrubs with usually blue flowers
From this reading “It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.”
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading “It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “"Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.”
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading “It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.”
a shoe consisting of a sole fastened by straps to the foot
From this reading “By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"”
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading “By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
common edible European bivalve
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
genus of tropical African herbs or subshrubs with usually blue flowers
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
depressingly dark
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
staying power
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
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 Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
a shoe consisting of a sole fastened by straps to the foot
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon...'"
successive (without a break)
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
not curled
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the fourth time that Felicia, at the piano, had begun the old song.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why on earth so everlasting gloomy, Phil?" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kenelm uncurled his long legs, and sat up straight on the window-seat.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'How should I your true love know, From another one?
Chapter 1 of The Happy Venture by Edith Ballinger Price holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of The Happy Venture, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Happy Venture by Edith Ballinger Price exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Happy Venture by Edith Ballinger Price on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11216 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11216, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 515 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Happy Venture section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Happy Venture 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 Happy Venture, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
