Chapter 1 of The White People is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The White People is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me. I do not know. I never heard of things like them happening to any one else. But I am not sorry they did happen. I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
Chapter 1 of The White People is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.”
come to pass
From this reading “But I am not sorry they did happen.”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.”
an event that happens
From this reading “I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “But I am not sorry they did happen.”
in a strange manner
From this reading “I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading But I am not sorry they did happen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I am not sorry they did happen.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But I am not sorry they did happen.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
come to pass
From this reading But I am not sorry they did happen.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
an event that happens
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do not know.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I do not know.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not know.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
and nothing more
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading But I am not sorry they did happen.
in a strange manner
From this reading I am in secret deeply and strangely glad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But I am not sorry they did happen.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me.
Chapter 1 of The White People by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 102 sentences of The White People, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The White People by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 White People by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1402 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #459 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #459, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 116 minutes of reading across 281 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The White 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 White People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
