Chapter 1 of Grit is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Grit is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GRIT. "Grit!" "Well, mother, what is it?" The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made. His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
Chapter 1 of Grit is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading “His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.”
the muscle tone of healthy tissue
From this reading “His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.”
a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
From this reading “GRIT.”
a person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses
From this reading “His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.”
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading “The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.”
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading “The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.”
concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually
From this reading “His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.”
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 “His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.”
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 The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
how long something has existed
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
a youthful male person
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
rid of obstructions
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
divisible by two
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
the muscle tone of healthy tissue
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
a hard coarse-grained siliceous sandstone
From this reading GRIT.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, mother, what is it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, mother, what is it?"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Well, mother, what is it?"
a person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
on the contrary
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The speaker was a sturdy, thick-set boy of fifteen, rather short for his age, but strongly made.
(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 "Well, mother, what is it?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, mother, what is it?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading His eyes were clear and bright, his expression was pleasant, and his face attractive, but even a superficial observer could read in it unusual firmness and strength of will.
Chapter 1 of Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 109 sentences of Grit, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Grit by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54195, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 358 minutes of reading across 860 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Grit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Grit 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 Grit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
