Chapter 1 of The Silent Mill is here in full — 487 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Silent Mill is here in full — 487 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, you're only on the way there now? Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?" And he gives him a searching thump on his chest. Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement. Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
Chapter 1 of The Silent Mill is here in full — 487 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 29/97 · 5 reading units · Lines 141–145
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.
inflected form of “bob” — move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"”
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.”
plural of “laugh” — the sound of laughing
From this reading “Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.”
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"”
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading “And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.”
the sister of your spouse
From this reading “Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"”
third-person singular of “suppress” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading “Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.”
move rhythmically
From this reading “And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
inflected form of “bob” — move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
plural of “laugh” — the sound of laughing
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
and nothing more
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
the sister of your spouse
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
express a supposition
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
third-person singular of “suppress” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then I suppose it's bobbing about in there?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
move rhythmically
From this reading And he gives him a searching thump on his chest.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Johannes laughs curtly and then suppresses a sigh as if to master his excitement.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Franz lays his hand on his shoulder and says: "Well, you will find a sister-in-law--upon my word, she's a sister-in-law worth having!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, you're only on the way there now?
Chapter 1 of The Silent Mill by Hermann Sudermann holds 487 sentences, grouped into 98 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 487 sentences of The Silent Mill, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Silent Mill by Hermann Sudermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 487 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Silent Mill by Hermann Sudermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1896 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 158 minutes of reading across 380 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silent Mill section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Silent Mill 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 Silent Mill, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
