Chapter 1 of A Wasted Day is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Wasted Day is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street. “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained. “Wants a letter about Spear. He’s been convicted of theft. Comes up for sentence Tuesday.”
Chapter 1 of A Wasted Day is here in full — 373 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
in an apologetic manner
From this reading “When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.”
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading ““From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.”
past form of “convict” — find or declare guilty
From this reading “He’s been convicted of theft.”
a trial period during which your character and abilities are tested to see whether you are suitable for work or for membership
From this reading ““From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.”
United States composer who promoted 20th century music (1896-1985)
From this reading ““From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.”
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading “He’s been convicted of theft.”
the third day of the week; the second working day
From this reading “Comes up for sentence Tuesday.””
superlative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.”
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 “Wants a letter about Spear.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Wants a letter about Spear.
in an apologetic manner
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He’s been convicted of theft.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading Comes up for sentence Tuesday.”
past form of “convict” — find or declare guilty
From this reading He’s been convicted of theft.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Comes up for sentence Tuesday.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s been convicted of theft.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
set down according to a plan
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
a trial period during which your character and abilities are tested to see whether you are suitable for work or for membership
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading Comes up for sentence Tuesday.”
United States composer who promoted 20th century music (1896-1985)
From this reading “From Mrs. Austin, probation officer, Court of General Sessions,” he explained.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading “Wants a letter about Spear.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading He’s been convicted of theft.
the third day of the week; the second working day
From this reading Comes up for sentence Tuesday.”
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Comes up for sentence Tuesday.”
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “Wants a letter about Spear.
at the time that
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
superlative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading When its turn came, the private secretary, somewhat apologetically, laid the letter in front of the Wisest Man in Wall Street.
Chapter 1 of A Wasted Day by Richard Harding Davis holds 373 sentences, grouped into 75 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 373 sentences of A Wasted Day, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Wasted Day by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 373 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Wasted Day by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 373 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1820, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 31 minutes of reading across 75 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Wasted Day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of A Wasted Day 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 Wasted Day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
