Chapter 1 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C . _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person. S. L. ELMER GANTRY was drunk. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
Chapter 1 of Elmer Gantry is here in full — 498 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading “_To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “ELMER GANTRY was drunk.”
with eloquence
From this reading “He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.”
a framework of steel bars raised on side supports to bridge over or around something; can display railway signals above several tracks or can support a traveling crane etc.
From this reading “ELMER GANTRY was drunk.”
with fondness; with love
From this reading “He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.”
United States journalist and literary critic (1880-1956)
From this reading “_To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “_To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.”
showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
From this reading “_To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.”
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.
In this reading “_To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.”
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 C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading ELMER GANTRY was drunk.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ELMER GANTRY was drunk.
with eloquence
From this reading He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
a framework of steel bars raised on side supports to bridge over or around something; can display railway signals above several tracks or can support a traveling crane etc.
From this reading ELMER GANTRY was drunk.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
with fondness; with love
From this reading He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
United States journalist and literary critic (1880-1956)
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
not any; not one
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
a human being
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
in a pugnacious manner
From this reading He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading S. L.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ELMER GANTRY was drunk.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _To_ H. L. MENCKEN _with profound admiration_ No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 2 7 , B Y H A R C O U R T , B R A C E A N D C O M P A N Y , I N C .
Chapter 1 of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis holds 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 498 sentences of Elmer Gantry, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 498 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9683 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72609 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72609, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1937 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elmer Gantry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Elmer Gantry 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 Elmer Gantry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
