Chapter 1 of Down the Slope is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Down the Slope is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?" "Came last Friday." "And you are going into the breaker?" "Yes." "For thirty-five cents a day?"
Chapter 1 of Down the Slope is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 youthful male person
From this reading “THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"”
a quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone
From this reading “THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “"For thirty-five cents a day?"”
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading “"Came last Friday."”
the act of departing
From this reading “"And you are going into the breaker?"”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"”
being five more than thirty
From this reading “"For thirty-five cents a day?"”
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 "For thirty-five cents a day?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And you are going into the breaker?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And you are going into the breaker?"
a youthful male person
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
a quarry worker who splits off blocks of stone
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Came last Friday."
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading "For thirty-five cents a day?"
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "For thirty-five cents a day?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For thirty-five cents a day?"
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading "Came last Friday."
the act of departing
From this reading "And you are going into the breaker?"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "And you are going into the breaker?"
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
immediately past
From this reading "Came last Friday."
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BREAKER BOY "Jest moved here, eh?"
being five more than thirty
From this reading "For thirty-five cents a day?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And you are going into the breaker?"
Chapter 1 of Down the Slope by James Otis holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 110 sentences of Down the Slope, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Down the Slope by James Otis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Down the Slope by James Otis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28697, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 341 minutes of reading across 819 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down the Slope section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Down the Slope 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 Down the Slope, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
