Chapter 1 of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8. is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8. is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Part 8. IT was in the early days. I was not a college professor then. I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done. I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
Chapter 1 of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8. is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.”
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading “I was not a college professor then.”
enter into a contractual arrangement
From this reading “I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “I was not a college professor then.”
an established line of travel or access
From this reading “I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.”
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading “I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.”
an act of traveling by water
From this reading “I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.”
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 Part 8.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I was not a college professor then.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
any person at all
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
an occurrence of something
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading I was not a college professor then.
enter into a contractual arrangement
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading IT was in the early days.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading IT was in the early days.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was not a college professor then.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IT was in the early days.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT was in the early days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I was not a college professor then.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Part 8.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading I was not a college professor then.
an established line of travel or access
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IT was in the early days.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I was not a college professor then.
an old word meaning “to that place”
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IT was in the early days.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I had a contract to survey a route for a great mining-ditch in California, and I was on my way thither, by sea --a three or four weeks' voyage.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading I was a humble-minded young land-surveyor, with the world before me--to survey, in case anybody wanted it done.
Chapter 1 of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8. by Mark Twain holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 114 sentences of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8., unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Life on the Mississippi, Part 8. by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Life on the Mississippi, Part 8. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Life on the Mississippi, Part 8., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
