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Constable
Constable

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Constable is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.
(Frontispiece).
National Gallery.
In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.
His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Constable

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Constable is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.
Line 2
(Frontispiece).
Line 3
National Gallery.
/ˈnæʃənəl ˈɡæləri/
Line 4
In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.
Line 5
His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.
/hɪz hænd ənd aɪ hæv lɔːst ˈsʌmθɪŋ ʌv ðer ɡrɪp ənd ˈfreʃnəs bʌt hɪz ˈpɜːrpəs ɪz æz fɜːrm æz ˈevər/

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.

Academy noun US /əˈkæd.ə.mi/

A place of study or training in a special field of knowledge and arts.

From this reading “In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.”

boyhood noun US /ˈbɔɪhʊd/

the childhood of a boy

From this reading “In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.”

Constable noun US /ˈkɑːnstəbəl/

a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff

From this reading “In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.”

exhibited verb US /ɪɡˈzɪbətəd/

past form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill

From this reading “In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.”

freshness noun US /ˈfreʃnəs/

the property of being pure and fresh (as if newly made); not stale or deteriorated

From this reading “His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.”

Gallery noun US /ˈɡæləri/

spectators at a golf or tennis match

From this reading “National Gallery.”

grip noun US /ɡrɪp/

the act of grasping

From this reading “His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.”

National adjective US /ˈnæʃənəl/

of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country

From this reading “National Gallery.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

two years noun + noun

In this reading “In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.”

on the banks preposition + article + noun counted as “on … banks”

In this reading “In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

1835

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

AcademynounUS /əˈkæd.ə.mi/

A place of study or training in a special field of knowledge and arts.

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

banksnounUS /bæŋks/

English botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1743-1820)

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

boyhoodnounUS /ˈbɔɪhʊd/

the childhood of a boy

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

ConstablenounUS /ˈkɑːnstəbəl/

a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

exhibitedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪbətəd/

past form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

FARMverbUS /fɑːrm/

be a farmer; work as a farmer

From this reading PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.

firmadjectiveUS /fɜːrm/

marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

freshnessnounUS /ˈfreʃnəs/

the property of being pure and fresh (as if newly made); not stale or deteriorated

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

Frontispiecenoun

an ornamental facade

From this reading (Frontispiece).

GallerynounUS /ˈɡæləri/

spectators at a golf or tennis match

From this reading National Gallery.

gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/

the act of grasping

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

Lott's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

NationaladjectiveUS /ˈnæʃənəl/

of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country

From this reading National Gallery.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

PLATEnounUS /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.

purposenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəs/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

RoyaladjectiveUS /ˈrɔɪəl/

of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

scenesnounUS /siːnz/

plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

Stour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

VALLEYnounUS /ˈvæli/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading PLATE I.--THE VALLEY FARM.

Willy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading In "The Valley Farm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour.

Chapter 1 of Constable by C. Lewis (Charles Lewis) Hind holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 Constable contain?

Chapter 1 holds 75 sentences of Constable, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Constable by C. Lewis (Charles Lewis) Hind exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 Constable?

Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 15 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 Constable

Common questions about reading Constable by C. Lewis (Charles Lewis) Hind on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Constable?

Yes. All 445 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36931 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Constable is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36931, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Constable take to read?

About 37 minutes of reading across 89 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Constable section by section

How to work through Constable section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of Constable 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 Constable

Words and structures a reader meets early in Constable, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Plate
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Constable; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Valley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Constable; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Frontispiece
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Constable; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
National
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Constable; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.