Chapter 1 of Family Tree is here in full — 751 sentences across 151 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Family Tree is here in full — 751 sentences across 151 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution? Maybe you're right. Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman? The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method. Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
Chapter 1 of Family Tree is here in full — 751 sentences across 151 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/150 · 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 “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading “Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?”
possessive form of “darwin” — English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
From this reading “_You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?”
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
From this reading “_You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?”
English poet (1878-1967)
From this reading “The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.”
a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading “The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.”
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading “Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?”
a person with great powers and abilities
From this reading “Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “_You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?”
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.
do away with
In this reading “Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?”
as might be expected
In this reading “Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.”
In this reading “Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.”
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 Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
later than; following
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
plural of “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
possessive form of “darwin” — English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
English poet (1878-1967)
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
by chance
From this reading Maybe you're right.
a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
relieve from
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
precisely, exactly
From this reading Maybe you're right.
a person with great powers and abilities
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Of course, he didn't know at the beginning that Blan Forsythe was a superman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The method Masefield Truggles used was the tried-and-true Masefield Truggles method.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maybe Man's ancestors weren't monkeys after all...._ How do you get rid of a superman?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _You don't like Darwin's theory of Evolution?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maybe you're right.
Chapter 1 of Family Tree by Charles L. Fontenay holds 751 sentences, grouped into 151 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 751 sentences of Family Tree, unabridged, divided into 151 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Family Tree by Charles L. Fontenay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 751 sentences, grouped into 151 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 151 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 151 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 Family Tree by Charles L. Fontenay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 751 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59643 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59643, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 62 minutes of reading across 151 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Family Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Family Tree 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 Family Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
