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All's for the Best
All's for the Best

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of All's for the Best is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
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ALL'S FOR THE BEST.
T. S. ARTHUR.
"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.
He was fifty years old!
What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

All's for the Best

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of All's for the Best is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ALL'S FOR THE BEST.
Line 2
T. S. ARTHUR.
/tiː es ˈɑːrθər/
Line 3
"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.
Line 4
He was fifty years old!
/hiː wɑːz ˈfɪfti jɪrz oʊld/
Line 5
What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.
/wʌt ə sæd kənˈfeʃən fɔːr ə mæn ðʌs fɑːr ɑːn ðə ˈdʒɜːrni ʌv laɪf/

Learner Dictionary

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.

confession noun US /kənˈfeʃən/

an admission of misdeeds or faults

From this reading “What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.”

disappointed adjective US /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd/

disappointingly unsuccessful

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

divine adjective US /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

doubter noun US /ˈdaʊtər/

someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

endeavored verb US /ɪnˈdevərd/

past form of “endeavor” — attempt by employing effort

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

intelligence noun US /ˌɪnˈtelədʒəns/

the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

prudence noun US /ˈpruːdəns/

discretion in practical affairs

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

trusted adjective US /ˈtrʌstɪd/

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence

From this reading “"_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

ALL'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ALL'S FOR THE BEST.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

ARTHURnounUS /ˈɑːrθər/

elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)

From this reading T. S. ARTHUR.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

BESTnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading ALL'S FOR THE BEST.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

confessionnounUS /kənˈfeʃən/

an admission of misdeeds or faults

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

disappointedadjectiveUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd/

disappointingly unsuccessful

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

divineadjectiveUS /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

doubternounUS /ˈdaʊtər/

someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

endeavoredverbUS /ɪnˈdevərd/

past form of “endeavor” — attempt by employing effort

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

faithnounUS /feɪθ/

a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

fiftynounUS /ˈfɪfti/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five

From this reading He was fifty years old!

FORprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading ALL'S FOR THE BEST.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

HAVEauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was fifty years old!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

insteadadverbUS /ˌɪnˈsted/

in place of, or as an alternative to

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

intelligencenounUS /ˌɪnˈtelədʒəns/

the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

lumine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading He was fifty years old!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

prudencenounUS /ˈpruːdəns/

discretion in practical affairs

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading T. S. ARTHUR.

sadadjectiveUS /sæd/

experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

self-derived

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

TnounUS /tiː/

a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

From this reading T. S. ARTHUR.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading ALL'S FOR THE BEST.

thusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

trustedadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌstɪd/

(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

walknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was fifty years old!

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What a sad confession for a man thus far on the journey of life.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading "_I HAVE_ no faith in anything," said a poor doubter, who had trusted in human prudence, and been disappointed; who had endeavored to walk by the lumine of self-derived intelligence, instead of by the light of divine truth, and so lost his way in the world.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading He was fifty years old!

Chapter 1 of All's for the Best by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

What does chapter 1 of All's for the Best contain?

Chapter 1 holds 411 sentences of All's for the Best, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of All's for the Best by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of All's for the Best?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading All's for the Best

Common questions about reading All's for the Best by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of All's for the Best?

Yes. All 2450 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4589 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of All's for the Best is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4589, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does All's for the Best take to read?

About 204 minutes of reading across 490 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read All's for the Best section by section

How to work through All's for the Best section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of All's for the Best to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in All's for the Best

Words and structures a reader meets early in All's for the Best, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

All's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of All's for the Best; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Arthur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of All's for the Best; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Faith
A word that appears in the opening chapter of All's for the Best; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Anything
A word that appears in the opening chapter of All's for the Best; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.