The Tinder-Box
The Tinder-Box by Maria Thompson Daviess is available here as the complete text, split into 410 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Tinder-Box by Maria Thompson Daviess. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #14863.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Tinder-Box
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 408 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Tinder-Box by Maria Thompson Daviess carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #14863, divided into 10 chapters and 410 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read The Tinder-Box in full?
The complete text of The Tinder-Box is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #14863 and divided into 410 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Tinder-Box by Maria Thompson Daviess, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #14863, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 2049 sentences across 10 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is The Tinder-Box divided for reading?
The Tinder-Box is presented in 10 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Tinder-Box as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 410 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 10 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear The Tinder-Box read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Tinder-Box can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Tinder-Box can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading The Tinder-Box
Common questions about reading The Tinder-Box by Maria Thompson Daviess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Tinder-Box?
Yes. All 2049 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Tinder-Box is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #14863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Tinder-Box take to read?
About 170 minutes of reading across 410 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Tinder-Box section by section
How to work through The Tinder-Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Tinder-Box to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Tinder-Box
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Tinder-Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Takes
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tinder-Box; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Either
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tinder-Box; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Loneliness
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tinder-Box; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Strength
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Tinder-Box; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.