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Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists
Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists
Context Illustration Reading 1/87 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.
I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."
--CHRISTMAS ORDINARY.
Under this cloud I walk, Gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.
I am a traveller who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot.
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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.

Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.
/ˈʌndər ðɪs klaʊd aɪ wɔːk ˈdʒentəlmɪn ˈpɑːrdən maɪ ruːd əˈsɔːlt/
Line 2
I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."
/aɪ æm ə ˈtrævələr huː ˈhævɪŋ sərˈveɪd moʊst ʌv ðə tərˈestriəl ˈæŋɡəlz ʌv ðɪs ɡloʊb æm ˈhɪðər ərˈaɪvd tuː pərˈuːz ðɪs ˈlɪtəl spɑːt/
Line 3
--CHRISTMAS ORDINARY.
/ˈkrɪsməs ˈɔːrdəneri/
Line 4
Under this cloud I walk, Gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.
/ˈʌndər ðɪs klaʊd aɪ wɔːk ˈdʒentəlmɪn ˈpɑːrdən maɪ ruːd əˈsɔːlt/
Line 5
I am a traveller who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot.
/aɪ æm ə ˈtrævələr huː ˈhævɪŋ sərˈveɪd moʊst ʌv ðə tərˈestriəl ˈæŋɡəlz ʌv ðɪs ɡloʊb æm ˈhɪðər ərˈaɪvd tuː pərˈuːz ðɪs ˈlɪtəl spɑːt/

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.

angles noun US /ˈæŋɡəlz/

plural of “angle” — the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians

From this reading “I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."”

assault noun US /əˈsɔːlt/

close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

From this reading “"Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.”

globe noun US /ɡloʊb/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading “I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."”

peruse verb US /pərˈuːz/

examine or consider with attention and in detail

From this reading “I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."”

rude adjective US /ruːd/

socially incorrect in behavior

From this reading “"Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.”

surveyed verb US /sərˈveɪd/

past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way

From this reading “I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."”

terrestrial adjective US /tərˈestriəl/

of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air

From this reading “I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."”

traveller noun US /ˈtrævələr/

a person who changes location

From this reading “I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."”

All words in this reading · 30

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 am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

anglesnounUS /ˈæŋɡəlz/

plural of “angle” — the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

assaultnounUS /əˈsɔːlt/

close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

CHRISTMASnounUS /ˈkrɪsməs/

period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

From this reading --CHRISTMAS ORDINARY.

cloudverbUS /klaʊd/

make overcast or cloudy

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

gentlemennounUS /ˈdʒentəlmɪn/

plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

globenounUS /ɡloʊb/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

hitheradverbUS /ˈhɪðər/

an old word meaning “to this place”

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

ORDINARYnounUS /ˈɔːrdəneri/

a judge of a probate court

From this reading --CHRISTMAS ORDINARY.

pardonverbUS /ˈpɑːrdən/

accept an excuse for

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

peruseverbUS /pərˈuːz/

examine or consider with attention and in detail

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

rudeadjectiveUS /ruːd/

socially incorrect in behavior

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

spotnounUS /spɑːt/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

surveyedverbUS /sərˈveɪd/

past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

terrestrialadjectiveUS /tərˈestriəl/

of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

travellernounUS /ˈtrævələr/

a person who changes location

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

UnderprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

walknounUS /wɔːk/

the act of traveling by foot

From this reading "Under this cloud I walk, gentlemen; pardon my rude assault.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading I am a traveller, who, having surveyed most of the terrestrial angles of this globe, am hither arrived, to peruse this little spot."

Chapter 1 of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists by Washington Irving holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists contain?

Chapter 1 holds 436 sentences of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists by Washington Irving exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists?

Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 88 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 Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists

Common questions about reading Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists by Washington Irving on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists?

Yes. All 4702 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #13515, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists take to read?

About 391 minutes of reading across 941 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists section by section

How to work through Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists 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 Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists

Words and structures a reader meets early in Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Under
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cloud
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gentlemen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pardon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.