Chapter 1 of The Star People is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Star People is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?" --_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped. Published June, 1921.
Chapter 1 of The Star People is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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.
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading “OF CANADA, LTD.”
Scottish historian who wrote about the French Revolution (1795-1881)
From this reading “--_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.”
plural of “constellation” — an arrangement of parts or elements
From this reading “"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"”
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading “Published June, 1921.”
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Published June, 1921.”
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading “"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"”
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.
In this reading “"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"”
set up or found
In this reading “--_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.”
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 June, 1921.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading OF CANADA, LTD.
Scottish historian who wrote about the French Revolution (1795-1881)
From this reading --_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading THE MACMILLAN CO.
plural of “constellation” — an arrangement of parts or elements
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading Published June, 1921.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OF CANADA, LTD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MACMILLAN CO.
engage in
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OF CANADA, LTD.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published June, 1921.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading --_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MACMILLAN CO.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading --_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading --_Thomas Carlyle._ Set up and electrotyped.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead and which I don't half know to this day?"
Chapter 1 of The Star People by Gaylord Johnson holds 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 526 sentences of The Star People, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Star People by Gaylord Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 106 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 Star People by Gaylord Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1065 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37916 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37916, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 88 minutes of reading across 213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Star People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Star People 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 Star People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
