Chapter 1 of The Sea Bride is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Sea Bride is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1919. They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill. Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress. Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
Chapter 1 of The Sea Bride is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
From this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading “Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.”
plural of “ministration” — assistance in time of difficulty
From this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “Published September, 1919.”
plural of “standard” — a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated
From this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
-ing form of “tilt” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
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.
low table with mirror or mirrors where one sits while dressing or applying makeup
In this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
In this reading “Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.”
set up or found
In this reading “Set up and electrotyped.”
In this reading “They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.”
In this reading “They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Published September, 1919.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
put on clothes
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
start firing a weapon
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
in a joyous manner
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
a room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
joined in matrimony
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
plural of “ministration” — assistance in time of difficulty
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published September, 1919.
with low volume
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading Published September, 1919.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
plural of “standard” — a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
-ing form of “tilt” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
on a floor above
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Upstairs, Bess Holt was helping Faith dress.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were to be married before the open fire, in the big living-room of the old house on the hill.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Faith sat before the old, veneered dressing table with its little mirror tilting on the curved standards, and submitted quietly and happily to Bess's ministrations.
Chapter 1 of The Sea Bride by Ben Ames Williams holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of The Sea Bride, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Sea Bride by Ben Ames Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Sea Bride by Ben Ames Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6597 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36881 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36881, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 549 minutes of reading across 1320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sea Bride section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Sea Bride 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 Sea Bride, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
