Chapter 1 of Autobiographic Sketches is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Autobiographic Sketches is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTOBIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES. BY THOMAS DE QUINCEY. EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR. DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS. I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
Chapter 1 of Autobiographic Sketches is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
the sterilization of an animal
From this reading “I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.”
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
From this reading “I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.”
to a great extent or degree
From this reading “I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.”
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
From this reading “EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.”
editing that involves writing something again
From this reading “I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.”
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading “AUTOBIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES.”
the third of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures
From this reading “I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.”
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 EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.
the sterilization of an animal
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
surrounded by; in the company of
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
of or relating to or characteristic of an autobiographer
From this reading AUTOBIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES.
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY THOMAS DE QUINCEY.
to a great extent or degree
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading BY THOMAS DE QUINCEY.
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
From this reading EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a form of address for a man
From this reading EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY THOMAS DE QUINCEY.
something that has been published again; a fresh publication (as of a literary work)
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
editing that involves writing something again
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading AUTOBIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading BY THOMAS DE QUINCEY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading DE QUINCEY TO THE AMERICAN EDITOR OF THIS WORKS.
the third of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures
From this reading I am on the point of revising and considerably altering, for republication in England, an edition of such amongst my writings as it may seem proper deliberately to avow.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY MR.
Chapter 1 of Autobiographic Sketches by Thomas De Quincey holds 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 498 sentences of Autobiographic Sketches, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Autobiographic Sketches by Thomas De Quincey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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.
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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 Autobiographic Sketches section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Autobiographic Sketches, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
