Chapter 1 of Wych Hazel is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Wych Hazel is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE. 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!' Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap. 'Wherefore?' said her guardian. 'Because I want to, sir.
Chapter 1 of Wych Hazel is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE.”
a person who cares for persons or property
From this reading “'Wherefore?' said her guardian.”
of a light brown or yellowish brown color
From this reading “Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.”
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading “Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.”
try to get or reach
From this reading “'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'”
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 “BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE.”
an old word meaning “why” or “for that reason”
From this reading “'Wherefore?' said her guardian.”
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 BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
for the reason that
From this reading 'Because I want to, sir.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
placed crosswise
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
start firing a weapon
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
a person who cares for persons or property
From this reading 'Wherefore?' said her guardian.
of a light brown or yellowish brown color
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
a form of address for a man
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
above and across; more than
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Wherefore?' said her guardian.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
try to get or reach
From this reading 'Mr. Falkirk, I _must_ go and seek my fortune!'
term of address for a man
From this reading 'Because I want to, sir.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
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 BEGINNING A FAIRY TALE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Because I want to, sir.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading 'Because I want to, sir.
an old word meaning “why” or “for that reason”
From this reading 'Wherefore?' said her guardian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wych Hazel made this little remark, sitting on a low seat by the fire, her arms crossed over her lap.
Chapter 1 of Wych Hazel by Susan Warner holds 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 297 sentences of Wych Hazel, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Wych Hazel by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 297 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Wych Hazel by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17800 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17800, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1896 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wych Hazel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Wych Hazel 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 Wych Hazel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
