Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Fires is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Fires is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?" Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended. "Yes," replied Mary Louise Gay. "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family. But Dad will be out West all of August.
Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Fires is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
an expectation
From this reading “Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.”
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “But Dad will be out West all of August.”
a small house with a single story
From this reading “"You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.”
ruined by overcooking
From this reading “_The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “But Dad will be out West all of August.”
increase the likelihood of
From this reading “"You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.”
past form of “sparkle” — reflect brightly
From this reading “Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.”
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 Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"”
In this reading “Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.”
In this reading “"You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.”
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.
(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 But Dad will be out West all of August.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
an expectation
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
for the reason that
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
a small house with a single story
From this reading _The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"
ruined by overcooking
From this reading _The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
a social unit living together
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading "Yes," replied Mary Louise Gay.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
increase the likelihood of
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
and nothing more
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," replied Mary Louise Gay.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Yes," replied Mary Louise Gay.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading _The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
recurring again and again
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes," replied Mary Louise Gay.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
past form of “sparkle” — reflect brightly
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading _The Burnt Bungalow_ "For the whole month?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading But Dad will be out West all of August.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Jane Patterson's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," replied Mary Louise Gay.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there's just room enough for our own family.
Chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Fires by Edith Lavell holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 254 sentences of The Mystery of the Fires, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Mystery of the Fires by Edith Lavell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Mystery of the Fires by Edith Lavell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3903 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43583, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 781 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of the Fires section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Mystery of the Fires 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 Mystery of the Fires, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
