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The Secret Garden

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Secret Garden is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Frances Hodgson Burnett • Curated US English Learning Edition

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.

Cover illustration for The Secret Garden

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

It was true, too.

She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/23

The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett

Cover illustration for The Secret Garden

Chapter I

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Secret Garden is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

The Secret Garden

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Secret Garden is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

Line 2

It was true, too.

Line 3

She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

Line 4

Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

Line 5

Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Thin adjective US /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading “She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

always

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

amuse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

another

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

beauty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

because

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

been

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

body

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

born

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

busy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

cared

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

child

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

disagreeable-looking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

English

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

ever

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

everybody

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

expression

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

face

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

father

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

gay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

go

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

Government

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

great

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

had

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

hair

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

held

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

her

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

herself

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

himself

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

ill

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

India

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

IS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

It

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was true, too.

LEFT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

Lennox

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

light

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

little

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

live

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

Manor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

Mary

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

Misselthwaite

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

most

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

mother

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

NO

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

ONE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

or

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

parties

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

people

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

position

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

seen

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

sent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

she

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

sour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

THERE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

too

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was true, too.

true

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was true, too.

uncle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

under

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

When

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

who

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THERE IS NO ONE LEFT When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

yellow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.

Chapter Quiz

Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.

What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Chapter I: There Is No One Left?

Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?

According to the text: "When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she...", what tone does the author establish?

Shadowing Practice

Repeat the selected source lines aloud to practice rhythm, stress, and clear US English pronunciation.

Narrator: When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

Narrator: She had not wanted a little girl at all, and when Mary was born she handed her over to the care of an Ayah, who was made to understand that if she wis

Chapter 1 of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Secret Garden contain?

Chapter 1 holds 119 sentences of The Secret Garden, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Secret Garden?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Secret Garden

Common questions about reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Secret Garden?

Yes. All 5579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #113 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Secret Garden is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #113, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Secret Garden take to read?

About 464 minutes of reading across 1116 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Secret Garden section by section

How to work through The Secret Garden section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Secret Garden to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Secret Garden

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Secret Garden, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Lennox: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Secret Garden; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Misselthwaite: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Secret Garden; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Manor: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Secret Garden; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Uncle: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Secret Garden; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.