Chapter 1 of A Tale of a Tub is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Tale of a Tub is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed. A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_. _A Panegyrical Effay upon the Number_ THREE. _A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet. _Lectures upon the Diffection of Human Nature_.
Chapter 1 of A Tale of a Tub is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.”
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading “Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.”
plural of “lecture” — a speech that is open to the public
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.”
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading “_A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet.”
plural of “production” — the act or process of producing something
From this reading “_A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet.”
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading “A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.”
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading “Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.”
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 A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Lectures upon the Diffection of Human Nature_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Panegyrical Effay upon the Number_ THREE.
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading _Lectures upon the Diffection of Human Nature_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
plural of “lecture” — a speech that is open to the public
From this reading _Lectures upon the Diffection of Human Nature_.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading _Lectures upon the Diffection of Human Nature_.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading _A Panegyrical Effay upon the Number_ THREE.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
formally expressing praise
From this reading _A Panegyrical Effay upon the Number_ THREE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading _A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet.
plural of “production” — the act or process of producing something
From this reading _A Differtation upon the principal productions of_ Grub-ftreet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading _A Panegyrical Effay upon the Number_ THREE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading _A Panegyrical Effay upon the Number_ THREE.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading A _Character of the prefent Set of_ Wits _in this Ifland_.
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading Treatifes writ by the fame Author, moft of them mentioned in the following Discourfes; which will be fpeedily publifhed.
Chapter 1 of A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of A Tale of a Tub, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1324 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 110 minutes of reading across 265 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Tale of a Tub section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of A Tale of a Tub 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 Tale of a Tub, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
