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.
The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much. He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window. But why was it there? “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet. But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
Chapter 1 of The Water-Babies is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 35/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
travel across or pass over
From this reading “The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.”
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading ““Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.”
past form of “nail” — attach something somewhere by means of nails
From this reading “The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.”
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.”
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading ““Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.”
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading “But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.”
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 other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But why was it there?
travel across or pass over
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
past form of “nail” — attach something somewhere by means of nails
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop-window.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that in her room?
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But why was it there?
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Poor man,” thought Tom, “and he looks so kind and quiet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
male cat
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised Tom much.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading But why was it there?
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.
