Chapter 1 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Published September, 1905. ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_. DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_. JENNIE, _a housemaid_. HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
Chapter 1 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce is here in full — 482 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
United States naturalist who contributed to paleontology and geology (1884-1960)
From this reading “DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
a man who drives a coach (or carriage)
From this reading “HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.”
plural of “hick” — a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
From this reading “HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Published September, 1905.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “Published September, 1905.”
plural of “suitor” — a man who courts a woman
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.
a young female
In this reading “DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.”
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 Published September, 1905.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.
United States naturalist who contributed to paleontology and geology (1884-1960)
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
a man who drives a coach (or carriage)
From this reading HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
plural of “hick” — a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
From this reading HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
a female domestic
From this reading JENNIE, _a housemaid_.
a small worthless amount
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JENNIE, _a housemaid_.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published September, 1905.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading Published September, 1905.
plural of “suitor” — a man who courts a woman
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
which person or people
From this reading HICKS, _a coachman, who does not appear_.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ROBERT YARDSLEY, } _suitors for the hand of JACK BARLOW, } Miss Andrews_.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading DOROTHY ANDREWS, _a much-loved young woman_.
Chapter 1 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce by John Kendrick Bangs holds 482 sentences, grouped into 97 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 482 sentences of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Proposal Under Difficulties: A Farce by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 482 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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.
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