Chapter 1 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEGIN TO SING. "ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c. BY HAROLD PIFFARD. HENRIETTA STREET, W.C. She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
Chapter 1 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “BEGIN TO SING.”
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.”
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading “She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.”
a body of students who are taught together
From this reading “"ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.”
comparative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.”
deliver by singing
From this reading “BEGIN TO SING.”
reflect brightly
From this reading “She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.”
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading “She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.”
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 “"ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.”
In this reading “She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.”
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 She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading BEGIN TO SING.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY HAROLD PIFFARD.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading "ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.
the organ of sight
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
a body of students who are taught together
From this reading "ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY HAROLD PIFFARD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HENRIETTA STREET, W.C.
and nothing more
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY HAROLD PIFFARD.
comparative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
deliver by singing
From this reading BEGIN TO SING.
reflect brightly
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading HENRIETTA STREET, W.C.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "ON THE DOWN GRADE," &c., &c.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BEGIN TO SING.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading HENRIETTA STREET, W.C.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was certainly very pretty, and just then she looked prettier than usual, for the sharp run had brought a more vivid colour to the cheek, and an added sparkle to the eye.
Chapter 1 of When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of When the Birds Begin to Sing, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4384 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26186 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26186, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When the Birds Begin to Sing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of When the Birds Begin to Sing 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 When the Birds Begin to Sing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
