Chapter 1 of Following the Equator — Part 1 is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Following the Equator — Part 1 is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes." "You drink two hot Scotches every night?" "Yes." "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against. We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
Chapter 1 of Following the Equator — Part 1 is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 21/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “"Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.”
maintain or assert
From this reading “"Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.”
take in liquids
From this reading “"You drink two hot Scotches every night?"”
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading “"You drink two hot Scotches every night?"”
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “We can't make progress the way the matter stands.”
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading “We can't make progress the way the matter stands.”
plural of “scotch” — a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading “"You drink two hot Scotches every night?"”
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading “We can't make progress the way the matter stands.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
maintain or assert
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
take in liquids
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
engage in
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
plural of “scotch” — a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We can't make progress the way the matter stands.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Very well, there you see what I have to contend against.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You drink two hot Scotches every night?"
Chapter 1 of Following the Equator — Part 1 by Mark Twain holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 157 sentences of Following the Equator — Part 1, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Following the Equator — Part 1 by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Following the Equator — Part 1 by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Following the Equator — Part 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Following the Equator — Part 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 Following the Equator — Part 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
