Chapter 1 of Virginia of Virginia: A Story is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Virginia of Virginia: A Story is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC. “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself. “No; it’s a boy. Hanged if it isn’t a girl!” He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
Chapter 1 of Virginia of Virginia: A Story is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading “He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.”
plural of “dragon” — a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.”
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “Hanged if it isn’t a girl!””
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading ““It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.”
past form of “pocket” — put in one's pocket
From this reading “He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.”
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.”
the act of gambling
From this reading ““It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.”
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading “He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.”
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.
eliminate
In this reading “He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.”
In this reading “He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.”
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 AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
a youthful male person
From this reading “No; it’s a boy.
wood from the hard woody root of the briar Erica arborea; used to make tobacco pipes
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
plural of “dragon” — a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
a young female
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
past form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Hanged if it isn’t a girl!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Hanged if it isn’t a girl!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hanged if it isn’t a girl!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Hanged if it isn’t a girl!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
not any; not one
From this reading “No; it’s a boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
attractively old-fashioned (but not necessarily authentic)
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
past form of “pocket” — put in one's pocket
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AUTHOR OF “A BROTHER TO DRAGONS, AND OTHER OLD-TIME TALES” ETC.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
the act of gambling
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading He took his short brier-wood pipe from his mouth, knocked out its contents against the side of the wagon, and pocketed it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “It’s a girl,” said Roden, laying a wager with himself.
Chapter 1 of Virginia of Virginia: A Story by Amélie Rives holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of Virginia of Virginia: A Story, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Virginia of Virginia: A Story by Amélie Rives exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Virginia of Virginia: A Story by Amélie Rives on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2134 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53838 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53838, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 177 minutes of reading across 427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Virginia of Virginia: A Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Virginia of Virginia: A Story 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 Virginia of Virginia: A Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
