Chapter 1 of Last Words is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Last Words is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC. DIGBY, LONG & CO. 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C. Two men sat by the sea waves. "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
Chapter 1 of Last Words is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading “18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.”
with gloom
From this reading “"Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.”
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading “"Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.”
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “"WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.”
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading “Two men sat by the sea waves.”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.”
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading “Two men sat by the sea waves.”
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “"WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.”
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 “Two men sat by the sea waves.”
In this reading “Two men sat by the sea waves.”
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 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading DIGBY, LONG & CO.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DIGBY, LONG & CO.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.
with gloom
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading DIGBY, LONG & CO.
the force of workers available
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading "WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading 18 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E. C.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading Two men sat by the sea waves.
(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, I know I'm not handsome," said one gloomily.
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading "WOUNDS IN THE RAIN," ETC.
Chapter 1 of Last Words by Stephen Crane holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 98 sentences of Last Words, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Last Words by Stephen Crane exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Last Words by Stephen Crane on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33579 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33579, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Last Words section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Last Words 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 Last Words, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
