Chapter 1 of A Boy's Town is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Boy's Town is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC. Annie Kilburn. 12mo. April Hopes. 12mo.
Chapter 1 of A Boy's Town is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 12mo.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie Kilburn.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie Kilburn.
an indefinitely short time
From this reading 12mo.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE SHADOW OF A DREAM" "APRIL HOPES" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
Chapter 1 of A Boy's Town by William Dean Howells holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of A Boy's Town, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Boy's Town by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 A Boy's Town by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2427 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28727 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28727, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 202 minutes of reading across 486 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Boy's Town section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of A Boy's Town 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 A Boy's Town, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
