Chapter 1 of An Ounce of Cure is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of An Ounce of Cure is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The doctor's office was shiny and modern. Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses. "Now, then! What seems to be the trouble?" Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
Chapter 1 of An Ounce of Cure is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.”
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “The doctor's office was shiny and modern.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.”
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading “The doctor's office was shiny and modern.”
having a slight and rapid trembling motion
From this reading “Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.”
the possibility of future success
From this reading “Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.”
reflecting light
From this reading “The doctor's office was shiny and modern.”
American poet (born in Africa) who was the first recognized Black writer in America (1753-1784)
From this reading “Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What seems to be the trouble?"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, then!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
having a slight and rapid trembling motion
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
the possibility of future success
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading What seems to be the trouble?"
reflecting light
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Wheatley had been palpitating for five days straight at the prospect of coming here.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Now, then!
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What seems to be the trouble?"
a source of difficulty
From this reading What seems to be the trouble?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The doctor's office was shiny and modern.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What seems to be the trouble?"
American poet (born in Africa) who was the first recognized Black writer in America (1753-1784)
From this reading Behind the desk the doctor smiled down at James Wheatley through thick glasses.
Chapter 1 of An Ounce of Cure by Alan Edward Nourse holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 151 sentences of An Ounce of Cure, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of An Ounce of Cure by Alan Edward Nourse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 An Ounce of Cure by Alan Edward Nourse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Ounce of Cure section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of An Ounce of Cure 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 An Ounce of Cure, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
