Chapter 1 of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed! (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath! Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head! (Pause.) Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
Chapter 1 of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 15/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 71–75
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.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading “Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?””
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “(Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!”
the habitation of wild animals
From this reading “Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “(Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “(Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?””
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 (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
the habitation of wild animals
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
half the width of an em
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
used to form the superlative
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
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 Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
above and across; more than
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
precisely, exactly
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
express in words
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (Pause.) Den--he know it's a-bendin' down over him--en he cain't skasely git his breath!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
in the near future
From this reading Den pooty soon he know it's a-stannin' by de bed!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Den--den--he seem to feel someth' n c-o-l-d, right down 'most agin his head!
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Den de voice say, right at his year--“W-h-o g-o-t--m-y--g-o-l-d-e-n arm?”
Chapter 1 of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays by Mark Twain holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 171 sentences of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 332 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3250 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3250, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 27 minutes of reading across 67 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays 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 How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
