Chapter 1 of Letters of Asa Gray is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Letters of Asa Gray is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VOL. II. NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS. The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880. The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879. The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work. LETTERS OF ASA GRAY.
Chapter 1 of Letters of Asa Gray is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/1 · 7 reading units · Lines 1–7
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.
of or relating to plants or botany
From this reading “The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.”
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.”
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading “The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS.”
record on photographic film
From this reading “The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.”
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading “The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.”
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading “The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.”
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 “The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.”
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 The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LETTERS OF ASA GRAY.
of or relating to plants or botany
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
an ornamental facade
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading II.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
the literary culture
From this reading LETTERS OF ASA GRAY.
a brief written record
From this reading NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
record on photographic film
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
printing from an intaglio plate prepared by photographic methods
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading The plate of Dr. Gray in his study, facing page 529, is from a photograph taken in 1879.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The frontispiece portrait of Dr. Gray is a photogravure from a photograph taken in 1880.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VOL.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The view of the present Range of Buildings in the Botanic Garden, facing page 614, is from a photograph taken for this work.
Chapter 1 of Letters of Asa Gray by Asa Gray holds 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 7 sentences of Letters of Asa Gray, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Letters of Asa Gray by Asa Gray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 2 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #55987, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Choose one of the 5 chapters of Letters of Asa Gray 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 Letters of Asa Gray, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
