Chapter 1 of Life of Johnson — Volume 5 is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Life of Johnson — Volume 5 is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_October 15_. Erse poetry. Danger of a knowledge of musick. The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death. Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
Chapter 1 of Life of Johnson — Volume 5 is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
matters of personal concern
From this reading “The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.”
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading “Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.”
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading “Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.”
the month following September and preceding November
literature in metrical form
From this reading “Erse poetry.”
correct or appropriate behavior
From this reading “The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.”
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading “Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.”
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading “The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.”
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 _October 15_.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Danger of a knowledge of musick.
matters of personal concern
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Danger of a knowledge of musick.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
any of several related languages of the Celts in Ireland and Scotland
From this reading Erse poetry.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading Danger of a knowledge of musick.
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Danger of a knowledge of musick.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading _October 15_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Danger of a knowledge of musick.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
literature in metrical form
From this reading Erse poetry.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
correct or appropriate behavior
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The propriety of settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Religion and literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard.
Chapter 1 of Life of Johnson — Volume 5 by James Boswell holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of Life of Johnson — Volume 5, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Life of Johnson — Volume 5 by James Boswell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Life of Johnson — Volume 5 by James Boswell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12213 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10451 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10451, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2443 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Life of Johnson — Volume 5 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Life of Johnson — Volume 5 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 Life of Johnson — Volume 5, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
