Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman. Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that. “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly. “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words. “Never mind who I am.
Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 17/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 81–85
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.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading ““You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading ““You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.”
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading “Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.”
plural of “grime” — the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading ““You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.”
with low volume
From this reading ““Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading ““You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.”
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading ““You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Never mind who I am.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
the act of departing
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
plural of “grime” — the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
a woman who is a native or inhabitant of Ireland
From this reading “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.
the act of departing
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “Never mind who I am.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Never mind who I am.
not any; not one
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
above and across; more than
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
with low volume
From this reading “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
male cat
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tom thought he was going to strike her; but she looked him too full and fierce in the face for that.
which person or people
From this reading “Never mind who I am.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
the words that are spoken
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes; I was there,” said the Irishwoman quietly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You do?” shouted Grimes; and leaving Tom, he climbed up over the wall, and faced the woman.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are no Irishwoman, by your speech,” said Grimes, after many bad words.
Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley holds 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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 302 sentences of The Water-Babies, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2578 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1018 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1018, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Water-Babies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Water-Babies 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 Water-Babies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
