Chapter 1 of Impressions and experiences is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Impressions and experiences is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC. W. D. HOWELLS’S WORKS. _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS. Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.
Chapter 1 of Impressions and experiences is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
the capacity to attract and hold something
From this reading “_IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.”
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.”
United States writer and illustrator of children's books (1853-1911)
From this reading “Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.”
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.”
a gambling card game in which chips are placed on the ace and king and queen and jack of separate suits (taken from a separate deck)
From this reading “_IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.”
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 “Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.”
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 | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
the capacity to attract and hold something
From this reading _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading W. D. HOWELLS’S WORKS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading W. D. HOWELLS’S WORKS.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
United States writer and illustrator of children's books (1853-1911)
From this reading Illustrated by HOWARD PYLE.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.
a gambling card game in which chips are placed on the ace and king and queen and jack of separate suits (taken from a separate deck)
From this reading _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ AUTHOR OF “A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES” “THE QUALITY OF MERCY” ETC.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading _IN CLOTH BINDING._ STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading W. D. HOWELLS’S WORKS.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading W. D. HOWELLS’S WORKS.
Chapter 1 of Impressions and experiences by William Dean Howells holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of Impressions and experiences, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Impressions and experiences by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Impressions and experiences by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2209 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 184 minutes of reading across 442 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Impressions and experiences section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Impressions and experiences 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 Impressions and experiences, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
