Chapter 1 of California illustrated is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of California illustrated is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES. A RETURNED CALIFORNIAN. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York. Most Respectfully Dedicated, THE AUTHOR.
Chapter 1 of California illustrated is here in full — 388 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 native or resident of California
From this reading “A RETURNED CALIFORNIAN.”
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading “Most Respectfully Dedicated, THE AUTHOR.”
the capital of the Bahamas
From this reading “E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.”
a republic in Central America; achieved independence from Spain in 1821
From this reading “PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.”
a republic on the Isthmus of Panama; achieved independence from Colombia in 1903
From this reading “PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.”
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading “E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.”
plural of “route” — an established line of travel or access
From this reading “PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.”
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 “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.”
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 E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A RETURNED CALIFORNIAN.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Most Respectfully Dedicated, THE AUTHOR.
a native or resident of California
From this reading A RETURNED CALIFORNIAN.
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading Most Respectfully Dedicated, THE AUTHOR.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most Respectfully Dedicated, THE AUTHOR.
the capital of the Bahamas
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
a republic in Central America; achieved independence from Spain in 1821
From this reading PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.
not any; not one
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
a republic on the Isthmus of Panama; achieved independence from Colombia in 1903
From this reading PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
in a respectful manner
From this reading Most Respectfully Dedicated, THE AUTHOR.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading A RETURNED CALIFORNIAN.
plural of “route” — an established line of travel or access
From this reading PANAMA AND NICARAGUA ROUTES.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading E. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, No. 114 Nassau Street, New York.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Chapter 1 of California illustrated by J. M. (John M.) Letts holds 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 388 sentences of California illustrated, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of California illustrated by J. M. (John M.) Letts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 388 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 California illustrated by J. M. (John M.) Letts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3639 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74730 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74730, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 303 minutes of reading across 728 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through California illustrated section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of California illustrated 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 California illustrated, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
