Chapter 1 of Dusky Dick is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Dusky Dick is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL. "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path? Ah me! I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!" "Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"
Chapter 1 of Dusky Dick is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading “I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL.”
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading “DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL.”
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"”
United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)
From this reading “"Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"”
a course of conduct
From this reading “"Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL.”
the season of growth
From this reading “"Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?”
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.
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 Ah me!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
someone who is a detective
From this reading "Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL.
lighted by or as if by twilight
From this reading DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
a young female
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"
immediately past
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ah me!
United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)
From this reading "Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
a course of conduct
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading DUSKY DICK'S PROPOSAL.
the season of growth
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I fear my old eyes are beginning to fail me at last!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Coming up the--ugh! father, it is that Dick Morgan!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
which person or people
From this reading "Annie, girl, who is that coming up the spring path?
Chapter 1 of Dusky Dick by Jos. E. (Joseph Edward) Badger holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 221 sentences of Dusky Dick, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Dusky Dick by Jos. E. (Joseph Edward) Badger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Dusky Dick by Jos. E. (Joseph Edward) Badger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68699 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68699, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 154 minutes of reading across 370 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dusky Dick section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Dusky Dick 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 Dusky Dick, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
