Chapter 1 of The Shining Cow is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Shining Cow is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims. "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?" "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Stewart. I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself. Pardon me."
Chapter 1 of The Shining Cow is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 44/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 216–220
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.
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
From this reading “I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.”
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.”
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading “I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.”
causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading “I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.”
investigate scientifically
From this reading “I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.”
at the same time but in another place
From this reading “Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.”
past form of “milk” — take milk from female mammals
From this reading “"Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"”
United States film actor who portrayed incorruptible but modest heros (1908-1997)
From this reading “Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.”
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.
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 particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Stewart.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
causing or capable of causing harm
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Stewart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
investigate scientifically
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Stewart.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Pardon me."
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.
past form of “milk” — take milk from female mammals
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.
accept an excuse for
From this reading Pardon me."
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Stewart.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.
United States film actor who portrayed incorruptible but modest heros (1908-1997)
From this reading Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.
express in words
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I'll have to investigate the area for harmful radio-activity first, then I'll have to check the cow, herself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Meanwhile, Mrs. Stewart turned to Sims.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
but in spite of that
From this reading "I really don't know yet, Mrs. Stewart.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Will you please tell us if Junius can be milked?"
Chapter 1 of The Shining Cow by Alex James holds 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 300 sentences of The Shining Cow, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Shining Cow by Alex James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Shining Cow by Alex James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29328 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29328, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 25 minutes of reading across 60 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shining Cow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Shining Cow 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 Shining Cow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
