Chapter 1 of Confessions of an Etonian is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Confessions of an Etonian is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Here's Harry crying!" And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth. "What makes you think that?" I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of. "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
Chapter 1 of Confessions of an Etonian is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
extreme mental distress
From this reading “I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.”
bewildering or striking dumb with wonder
From this reading “And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.”
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.”
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading “I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.”
a person who is older than you are
From this reading “And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.”
the light of the Moon
From this reading “"Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."”
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading “I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.”
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.”
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 I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
extreme mental distress
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
bewildering or striking dumb with wonder
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
demanding attention
From this reading "Here's Harry crying!"
a person who is older than you are
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading "Here's Harry crying!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's Harry crying!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "What makes you think that?"
the light of the Moon
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What makes you think that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What makes you think that?"
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What makes you think that?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
in the company of; together with
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading And on the instant, my brother awoke the elder ones to witness and enjoy the astounding truth.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I replied, in as resolute a tone as a throat choking with anguish would admit of.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What makes you think that?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, you're crying now," added another brother; "I see the tears shining in the moonlight."
Chapter 1 of Confessions of an Etonian by I. E. M. holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 94 sentences of Confessions of an Etonian, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Confessions of an Etonian by I. E. M. exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Confessions of an Etonian by I. E. M. on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19405 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19405, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 86 minutes of reading across 209 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Confessions of an Etonian section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Confessions of an Etonian 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 Confessions of an Etonian, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
