Chapter 1 of I Will Maintain is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of I Will Maintain is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William. “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.” John de Witt looked up quickly. “Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly. “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
Chapter 1 of I Will Maintain is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading ““And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.””
your usual mood
From this reading ““You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?””
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading ““Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.”
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading ““You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?””
not often
From this reading ““There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading ““Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading ““There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.”
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading ““There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.”
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 ““Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.”
seek information from
In this reading “John de Witt looked up quickly.”
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 “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading John de Witt looked up quickly.
your usual mood
From this reading “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading “Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John de Witt looked up quickly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading John de Witt looked up quickly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
with speed
From this reading John de Witt looked up quickly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
not often
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
term of address for a man
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Ah, sir,” he smiled faintly.
express in speech
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading John de Witt looked up quickly.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “You are of a probing disposition--what is this subject?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There is one subject that we seldom touch upon,” said Sir William.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John de Witt looked up quickly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And that is one upon which I am curious to hear you speak.”
Chapter 1 of I Will Maintain by Marjorie Bowen holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 178 sentences of I Will Maintain, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of I Will Maintain by Marjorie Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 I Will Maintain by Marjorie Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9501 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53549 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53549, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1901 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through I Will Maintain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of I Will Maintain 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 I Will Maintain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
