Chapter 1 of Divine Songs is here in full — 514 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Divine Songs is here in full — 514 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Attempted in the Easy Language of Children. By I. Watts. _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_. Matt. xxi. 16.
Chapter 1 of Divine Songs is here in full — 514 sentences across 103 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/102 · 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.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading “Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.”
plural of “babe” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “_Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.”
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading “_Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.”
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Matt. xxi.”
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading “_Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.”
an expression of approval and commendation
English poet and theologian (1674-1748)
From this reading “By I. Watts.”
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 16.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
plural of “babe” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By I. Watts.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading By I. Watts.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Matt. xxi.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Attempted in the Easy Language of Children.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading _Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise_.
English poet and theologian (1674-1748)
From this reading By I. Watts.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty and one
From this reading Matt. xxi.
Chapter 1 of Divine Songs by Isaac Watts holds 514 sentences, grouped into 103 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 514 sentences of Divine Songs, unabridged, divided into 103 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Divine Songs by Isaac Watts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 514 sentences, grouped into 103 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 103 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 103 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 Divine Songs by Isaac Watts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13439 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13439, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 42 minutes of reading across 103 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Divine Songs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Divine Songs 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 Divine Songs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
