Chapter 1 of Beggars is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Beggars is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II. A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI. Stiffs 42 VII. American Prisons 49 VIII. Experiences of Others 58 IX.
Chapter 1 of Beggars is here in full — 464 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
plural of “beggar” — a pauper who lives by begging
From this reading “See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.”
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading “Experiences of Others 58 IX.”
plural of “nationality” — people having common origins or traditions and often comprising a nation
From this reading “See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.”
plural of “prison” — a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading “American Prisons 49 VIII.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.”
plural of “stiff” — an ordinary man
From this reading “Stiffs 42 VII.”
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading “A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.”
plural of “tramp” — a vagrant
From this reading “A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.”
In this reading “Experiences of Others 58 IX.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stiffs 42 VII.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading American Prisons 49 VIII.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Experiences of Others 58 IX.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading American Prisons 49 VIII.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
plural of “beggar” — a pauper who lives by begging
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading Experiences of Others 58 IX.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading Experiences of Others 58 IX.
plural of “nationality” — people having common origins or traditions and often comprising a nation
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Experiences of Others 58 IX.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Experiences of Others 58 IX.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
plural of “prison” — a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading American Prisons 49 VIII.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
plural of “stiff” — an ordinary man
From this reading Stiffs 42 VII.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading See https:// Duckworth & Co. 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden I. The Nationalities as Beggars 1 II.
plural of “tramp” — a vagrant
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading A Tramps' Camp in Texas 10 V. Queer Places 34 VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading Stiffs 42 VII.
the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
From this reading American Prisons 49 VIII.
Chapter 1 of Beggars by W. H. (William Henry) Davies holds 464 sentences, grouped into 93 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 464 sentences of Beggars, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Beggars by W. H. (William Henry) Davies exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 464 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Beggars by W. H. (William Henry) Davies on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2325 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45640 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45640, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 465 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beggars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Beggars 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 Beggars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
