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English Hours
English Hours

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of English Hours is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for English Hours
Context Illustration Reading 1/72 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprintedthe earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled Portraits of Places.”
They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

English Hours

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of English Hours is here in full — 363 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.
/ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən ənd ˈspelɪŋ ɪn ðə ərˈɪdʒənəl ˈdɑːkjəment hæv bɪn prəˈzɜːrvd/
Line 2
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
/ˈɑːbviəs ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl ˈerərz hæv bɪn kərˈektəd/
Line 3
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
/aɪˈtælɪk tekst ɪz dɪˈnoʊtəd baɪ ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/
Line 4
The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprintedthe earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitledPortraits of Places.”
Line 5
They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

Learner Dictionary

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.

denoted verb US /dɪˈnoʊtəd/

past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of

From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”

derive verb US /dərˈaɪv/

reason by deduction; establish by deduction

From this reading “They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.”

hyphenation noun US /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading “Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.”

Italic noun US /aɪˈtælɪk/

a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”

periodicals noun US /ˌpɪriˈɑːdɪkəlz/

plural of “periodical” — a publication that appears at fixed intervals

From this reading “The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.””

reprinted verb US /riˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “reprint” — print anew

From this reading “The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.””

typographical adjective US /ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl/

relating to or occurring or used in typography

From this reading “Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.”

underscores noun US /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

originally published adverb + adjective

In this reading “The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.””

thirty years noun + noun

In this reading “The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.””

once more adverb + adjective

anew

In this reading “They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.”

derive from verb + particle

In this reading “They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.”

with the exception preposition + article + noun counted as “with … exception”

In this reading “The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.””

great advantage adjective + noun

In this reading “They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

advantagenounUS /ædˈvæntɪdʒ/

the quality of having a superior or more favorable position

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

companynounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

correctedadjectiveUS /kərˈektəd/

having something undesirable neutralized

From this reading Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

datenounUS /deɪt/

the specified day of the month

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

denotedverbUS /dɪˈnoʊtəd/

past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

deriveverbUS /dərˈaɪv/

reason by deduction; establish by deduction

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

documentnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəment/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

earliestadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrliəst/

(comparative and superlative of “early”) more early than; most early

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

entitledadjectiveUS /enˈtaɪtəld/

qualified for by right according to law

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

errorsnounUS /ˈerərz/

plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

exceptionnounUS /ɪkˈsepʃən/

a deliberate act of omission

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

gatheredadjectiveUS /ˈɡæðərd/

brought together in one place

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

hyphenationnounUS /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

illustrationsnounUS /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

InconsistentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/

displaying a lack of consistency

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

ItalicnounUS /aɪˈtælɪk/

a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

ObviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/

easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind

From this reading Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

originaladjectiveUS /ərˈɪdʒənəl/

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

originallyadverbUS /ərˈɪdʒənəli/

in an original manner

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

papersnounUS /ˈpeɪpərz/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

Pennell's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

periodicalsnounUS /ˌpɪriˈɑːdɪkəlz/

plural of “periodical” — a publication that appears at fixed intervals

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

placedadjectiveUS /pleɪst/

situated in a particular spot or position

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

PlacesnounUS /ˈpleɪsəz/

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

PortraitsnounUS /ˈpɔːrtrəts/

plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

preservedadjectiveUS /prəˈzɜːrvd/

prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

publishedadjectiveUS /ˈpʌblɪʃt/

prepared and printed for distribution and sale

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

recentlyadverbUS /ˈriːsəntli/

in the recent past

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

reprintedverbUS /riˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “reprint” — print anew

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

seriesnounUS /ˈsɪriz/

similar things placed in order or happening one after another

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

spellingnounUS /ˈspelɪŋ/

forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

supportnounUS /səˈpɔːrt/

the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

thirtynounUS /ˈθɜːrdiː/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

typographicaladjectiveUS /ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl/

relating to or occurring or used in typography

From this reading Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

underscoresnounUS /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

variousadjectiveUS /ˈveriəs/

of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

volumenounUS /ˈvɑːljuːm/

the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading They have been here once more placed together, for the great advantage they will be felt to derive from the company and support of Mr. Pennell’s illustrations.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading The papers gathered into this series, originally published in various periodicals, have already been reprinted—the earliest in date more than thirty years ago; the others, with the exception of two, more recently, in a volume entitled “Portraits of Places.”

Chapter 1 of English Hours by Henry James holds 363 sentences, grouped into 73 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.

What does chapter 1 of English Hours contain?

Chapter 1 holds 363 sentences of English Hours, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of English Hours by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 363 sentences, grouped into 73 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of English Hours?

Work through the 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 73 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading English Hours

Common questions about reading English Hours by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of English Hours?

Yes. All 2442 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58938 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of English Hours is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #58938, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does English Hours take to read?

About 203 minutes of reading across 489 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read English Hours section by section

How to work through English Hours section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of English Hours to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in English Hours

Words and structures a reader meets early in English Hours, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Inconsistent
A word that appears in the opening chapter of English Hours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hyphenation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of English Hours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spelling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of English Hours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Original
A word that appears in the opening chapter of English Hours; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.