Chapter 1 of Two Little Waifs is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Two Little Waifs is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PAPA HAS SENT FOR US. "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'" CHARLES LAMB. It was their favourite play. Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
Chapter 1 of Two Little Waifs is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading “CHARLES LAMB.”
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading “It was their favourite play.”
an estimate based on little or no information
From this reading “"It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"”
past form of “invent” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading “Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.”
young sheep
From this reading “CHARLES LAMB.”
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading “Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “PAPA HAS SENT FOR US.”
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading “Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.”
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.
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
any thing at all
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading CHARLES LAMB.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
divisible by two
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading It was their favourite play.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading PAPA HAS SENT FOR US.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
an estimate based on little or no information
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PAPA HAS SENT FOR US.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
past form of “invent” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was their favourite play.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
young sheep
From this reading CHARLES LAMB.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading PAPA HAS SENT FOR US.
participate in games or sport
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading PAPA HAS SENT FOR US.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was their favourite play.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading PAPA HAS SENT FOR US.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Gladys had invented it, as she invented most of their plays, and Roger was even more ready to play at it than at any other, ready though he always was to do anything Gladys liked or wanted.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was their favourite play.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
at the time that
From this reading "It's what comes in our heads when we Play at 'Let's-make-believe,' And when we play at 'Guessing.'"
Chapter 1 of Two Little Waifs by Mrs. Molesworth holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 170 sentences of Two Little Waifs, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Two Little Waifs by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Two Little Waifs by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2362 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39567 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39567, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 196 minutes of reading across 473 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Two Little Waifs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Two Little Waifs 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 Two Little Waifs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
