Chapter 1 of Trading is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Trading is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day. People called it cold. Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing. Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine. She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
Chapter 1 of Trading is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
traveling across
From this reading “Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.”
time available for ease and relaxation
From this reading “She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.”
possessive form of “lloyd” — United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading “Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.”
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading “Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.”
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading “Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.”
plural of “staple” — (usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
From this reading “Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.”
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
From this reading “She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.”
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 “She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.”
In this reading “Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.”
In this reading “Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.”
In this reading “Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.”
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.
(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 Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading People called it cold.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading People called it cold.
traveling across
From this reading Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
set up or found
From this reading Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading People called it cold.
time available for ease and relaxation
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
possessive form of “lloyd” — United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People called it cold.
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.
plural of “staple” — (usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
From this reading Sarah Staples found it so on her crossing.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
the rays of the sun
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had not leisure to look at the grey sky, and to be sure the temperature was that of summer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Inside Mrs. Lloyd's front-door, however, it seemed to Matilda to be nothing but sunshine.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Christmas day was grey with clouds; on the roofs of the city and in the streets the sun never shone all day.
Chapter 1 of Trading by Susan Warner holds 357 sentences, grouped into 72 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 357 sentences of Trading, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Trading by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 357 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Trading by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4814 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30149 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30149, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 963 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Trading section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Trading 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 Trading, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
