Chapter 1 of The Spartan Twins is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Spartan Twins is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece. He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens. LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne. DION and DAPHNE, Twin Son and Daughter of Melas and Lydia. CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
Chapter 1 of The Spartan Twins is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess)
From this reading “He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.”
any of several ornamental shrubs with shiny mostly evergreen leaves and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers
From this reading “LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.”
a republic in southeastern Europe on the southern part of the Balkan peninsula; known for grapes and olives and olive oil
From this reading “_The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.”
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.”
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.”
plural of “salami” — highly seasoned fatty sausage of pork and beef usually dried
From this reading “_The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.”
of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people
From this reading “_The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.”
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading “DION and DAPHNE, Twin Son and Daughter of Melas and Lydia.”
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 _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess)
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
happiness felt in a secure relationship
From this reading CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
any of several ornamental shrubs with shiny mostly evergreen leaves and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers
From this reading LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.
a female human offspring
From this reading DION and DAPHNE, Twin Son and Daughter of Melas and Lydia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
a young female
From this reading CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
a republic in southeastern Europe on the southern part of the Balkan peninsula; known for grapes and olives and olive oil
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
and nothing more
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
Athenian statesman whose leadership contributed to Athens' political and cultural supremacy in Greece; he ordered the construction of the Parthenon (died in 429 BC)
From this reading He is Overseer on the Farm of Pericles, Archon of Athens.
plural of “salami” — highly seasoned fatty sausage of pork and beef usually dried
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
a male human offspring
From this reading DION and DAPHNE, Twin Son and Daughter of Melas and Lydia.
of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _The Characters in this Story are_:-- MELAS, a Spartan living on the Island of Salamis, just off the coast of Greece.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading DION and DAPHNE, Twin Son and Daughter of Melas and Lydia.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading LYDIA, Wife of Melas, and Mother of Dion and Daphne.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading CHLOE, a young slave girl, belonging to Melas and Lydia.
Chapter 1 of The Spartan Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins holds 464 sentences, grouped into 93 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 464 sentences of The Spartan Twins, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Spartan Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 464 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Spartan Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1366 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9966 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9966, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 113 minutes of reading across 274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spartan Twins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Spartan Twins 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 Spartan Twins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
