Chapter 1 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 416 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 Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THEORY AND PRACTICE. ROBERT TIMSOL. THE PROVIDENT BOOK COMPANY. I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days. There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
Chapter 1 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 416 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.
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading “There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.”
standing above others in quality or position
From this reading “There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.”
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading “THEORY AND PRACTICE.”
skillful after much practice
From this reading “There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.”
professing to be qualified
From this reading “There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.”
providing carefully for the future
From this reading “THE PROVIDENT BOOK COMPANY.”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “THEORY AND PRACTICE.”
traveled over or through; sometimes used as a combining term
From this reading “There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.”
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 “I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.”
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 There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
later than; following
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THEORY AND PRACTICE.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading THE PROVIDENT BOOK COMPANY.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading THE PROVIDENT BOOK COMPANY.
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
standing above others in quality or position
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading THEORY AND PRACTICE.
skillful after much practice
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
professing to be qualified
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
providing carefully for the future
From this reading THE PROVIDENT BOOK COMPANY.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading ROBERT TIMSOL.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading I had seen and heard little of Hartman since our college days.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PROVIDENT BOOK COMPANY.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading THEORY AND PRACTICE.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ROBERT TIMSOL.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
traveled over or through; sometimes used as a combining term
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading There he was counted a youth of eminent promise: after that I knew that he had traveled, written something or other, and practised law--or professed it, and not too eagerly: then he had disappeared.
Chapter 1 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird holds 416 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 416 sentences of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 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.
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About 347 minutes of reading across 834 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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