Chapter 1 of What the Blackbird said A story in four is here in full — 735 sentences across 147 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of What the Blackbird said A story in four is here in full — 735 sentences across 147 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT THE BLACKBIRD SAID. A Story _IN FOUR CHIRPS_. BY MRS. FREDERICK LOCKER. _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
Chapter 1 of What the Blackbird said A story in four is here in full — 735 sentences across 147 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/147 · 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.
any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black
From this reading “WHAT THE BLACKBIRD SAID.”
make high-pitched sounds
From this reading “_ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.”
plural of “chirp” — a sharp sound made by small birds or insects
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “_ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.”
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading “FREDERICK LOCKER.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
a storage compartment for clothes and valuables; usually it has a lock
From this reading “FREDERICK LOCKER.”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “_ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.”
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 A Story _IN FOUR CHIRPS_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black
From this reading WHAT THE BLACKBIRD SAID.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY MRS.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
make high-pitched sounds
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
plural of “chirp” — a sharp sound made by small birds or insects
From this reading A Story _IN FOUR CHIRPS_.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading A Story _IN FOUR CHIRPS_.
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading FREDERICK LOCKER.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A Story _IN FOUR CHIRPS_.
a storage compartment for clothes and valuables; usually it has a lock
From this reading FREDERICK LOCKER.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading BY MRS.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading WHAT THE BLACKBIRD SAID.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
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 A Story _IN FOUR CHIRPS_.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading _ILLUSTRATED BY RANDOLPH CALDECOTT._ LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL, E.C. CHIRP THE FIRST.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHAT THE BLACKBIRD SAID.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT THE BLACKBIRD SAID.
Chapter 1 of What the Blackbird said A story in four by Hannah Jane Locker-Lampson holds 735 sentences, grouped into 147 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 735 sentences of What the Blackbird said A story in four, unabridged, divided into 147 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of What the Blackbird said A story in four by Hannah Jane Locker-Lampson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 735 sentences, grouped into 147 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 147 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 147 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 What the Blackbird said A story in four by Hannah Jane Locker-Lampson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 735 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29111 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29111, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 61 minutes of reading across 147 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through What the Blackbird said A story in four section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of What the Blackbird said A story in four 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 What the Blackbird said A story in four, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
