Chapter 1 of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY. BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_. 1888. INTRODUCTION.
Chapter 1 of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 act of beginning something new
From this reading “INTRODUCTION.”
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading “BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY.”
small in range or scope
From this reading “CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.”
a resort town in east central Florida
of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country
From this reading “CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY.”
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading “BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.”
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 1888.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
the act of beginning something new
From this reading INTRODUCTION.
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
a room where books are kept
From this reading CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY.
small in range or scope
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
a resort town in east central Florida
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country
From this reading CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: _LONDON_, _PARIS_, _NEW YORK & MELBOURNE_.
Chapter 1 of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 423 sentences of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1692 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4679 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4679, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
