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The Water-Babies
The Water-Babies

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Water-Babies
Context Illustration Reading 18/60 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”
Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.
Stop!” said the Irishwoman.
I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.
Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Water-Babies

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 18/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 86–90

Line 1
I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”
/aɪ sɔː wʌt aɪ sɔː ənd ɪf juː straɪk ðæt bɔɪ əˈɡen aɪ kæn tel wʌt aɪ noʊ/
Line 2
Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.
/ɡraɪmz siːmd kwaɪt kaʊd ənd ɡɑːt ɑːn hɪz ˈdɑːŋki wɪˈθaʊt əˈnʌðər wɜːrd/
Line 3
Stop!” said the Irishwoman.
Line 4
I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.
/aɪ hæv wʌn mɔːr wɜːrd fɔːr juː boʊθ fɔːr juː wɪl boʊθ siː miː əˈɡen bɪˈfɔːr ɔːl ɪz ˈoʊvər/
Line 5
Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.
/ðoʊz ðæt wɪʃ tuː biː kliːn kliːn ðeɪ wɪl biː ənd ðoʊz ðæt wɪʃ tuː biː faʊl faʊl ðeɪ wɪl biː/

Learner Dictionary

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.

clean adjective US /kliːn/

free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits

From this reading “Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.”

cowed verb US /kaʊd/

past form of “cow” — subdue, restrain, or overcome by affecting with a feeling of awe; frighten (as with threats)

From this reading “Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.”

donkey noun US /ˈdɑːŋki/

the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874

From this reading “Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.”

foul adjective US /faʊl/

highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust

From this reading “Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.”

Grimes noun US /ɡraɪmz/

plural of “grime” — the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading “Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.”

Stop verb US /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading ““Stop!” said the Irishwoman.”

strike verb US /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading “I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.””

wish verb US /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading “Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.”

All words in this reading · 47

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

cleanadjectiveUS /kliːn/

free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

cowedverbUS /kaʊd/

past form of “cow” — subdue, restrain, or overcome by affecting with a feeling of awe; frighten (as with threats)

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

donkeynounUS /ˈdɑːŋki/

the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

fouladjectiveUS /faʊl/

highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

GrimesnounUS /ɡraɪmz/

plural of “grime” — the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

Irishwomannoun

a woman who is a native or inhabitant of Ireland

From this reading “Stop!” said the Irishwoman.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Stop!” said the Irishwoman.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

StopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading “Stop!” said the Irishwoman.

strikeverbUS /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading “Stop!” said the Irishwoman.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “I have one more word for you both; for you will both see me again before all is over.

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading Those that wish to be clean, clean they will be; and those that wish to be foul, foul they will be.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Grimes seemed quite cowed, and got on his donkey without another word.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I saw what I saw; and if you strike that boy again, I can tell what I know.”

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.

What does chapter 1 of The Water-Babies contain?

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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Water-Babies?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Water-Babies

Common questions about reading The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Water-Babies?

Yes. All 2578 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1018 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Water-Babies is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1018, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Water-Babies take to read?

About 214 minutes of reading across 516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Water-Babies section by section

How to work through The Water-Babies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Water-Babies to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Water-Babies

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Water-Babies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Heard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Babies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thousand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Babies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Blended
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Babies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Notes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Water-Babies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.