Chapter 19 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time. I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed. Little lives and little criticisms may serve. Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards. I am, &c.
Chapter 19 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 is here in full — 389 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.
plural of “criticism” — disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings
From this reading “Little lives and little criticisms may serve.”
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading “Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.”
with diligence; in a diligent manner
From this reading “It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Little lives and little criticisms may serve.”
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading “It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.”
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “Little lives and little criticisms may serve.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Little lives and little criticisms may serve.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading I am, &c.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
plural of “criticism” — disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings
From this reading Little lives and little criticisms may serve.
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
with diligence; in a diligent manner
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
toward home
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little lives and little criticisms may serve.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Little lives and little criticisms may serve.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Little lives and little criticisms may serve.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
on the contrary
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading Little lives and little criticisms may serve.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
precisely as stated
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I hope to get through, though so many weeks have passed.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Having been in the country so long, with very little to detain me, I am rather glad to look homewards.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It will be proper for me to work pretty diligently now for some time.
Chapter 19 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson holds 389 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 19 holds 389 sentences of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 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 19 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 Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7024 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10835 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10835, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 585 minutes of reading across 1405 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 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 Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
