Chapter 1 of The House in Town is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The House in Town is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh Norton! Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?" Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton. She had heard his step. Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
Chapter 1 of The House in Town is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"”
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.”
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading “Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.”
done under pressure
From this reading “Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.”
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “She had heard his step.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.”
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 “Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.”
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 Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
a room used for dining
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading She had heard his step.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She had heard his step.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
information about recent and important events
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh Norton!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh Norton!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
done under pressure
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had heard his step.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Norton seemed in a preoccupied state of mind.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading She had heard his step.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
express in words
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Matilda had left the study and rushed out into the dining-room to tell her news, if indeed it were news to Norton.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Oh Norton! do you know what has happened?"
Chapter 1 of The House in Town by Susan Warner holds 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 322 sentences of The House in Town, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The House in Town by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 House in Town by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5293 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House in Town section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The House in Town 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 House in Town, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
