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Literary Blunders
Literary Blunders

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Literary Blunders is here in full — 24 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Literary Blunders
Context Illustration Reading 1/4 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BLUNDERS OF AUTHORS.
Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Literary Blunders

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Literary Blunders is here in full — 24 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/4 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BLUNDERS OF AUTHORS.
Line 2
Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5

All words in this reading · 16

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.

AUTHORS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BLUNDERS OF AUTHORS.

BLUNDERS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BLUNDERS OF AUTHORS.

bones

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Critics

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

French

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Gladstone

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Goldsmith

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Historians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Lord

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Macaulay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

memoir

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Mr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Napier's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Newspaper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

OF

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BLUNDERS OF AUTHORS.

writers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Goldsmith--French memoir writers-- Historians--Napier's bones--Mr. Gladstone-- Lord Macaulay--Newspaper writers--Critics .

Chapter 1 of Literary Blunders by Henry B. (Henry Benjamin) Wheatley holds 24 sentences, grouped into 5 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.

What does chapter 1 of Literary Blunders contain?

Chapter 1 holds 24 sentences of Literary Blunders, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Literary Blunders by Henry B. (Henry Benjamin) Wheatley exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 24 sentences, grouped into 5 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Literary Blunders?

Work through the 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 5 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Literary Blunders

Common questions about reading Literary Blunders by Henry B. (Henry Benjamin) Wheatley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Literary Blunders?

Yes. All 1761 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #371 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Literary Blunders is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #371, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Literary Blunders take to read?

About 146 minutes of reading across 353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Literary Blunders section by section

How to work through Literary Blunders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of Literary Blunders to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Literary Blunders

Words and structures a reader meets early in Literary Blunders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Blunders
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Literary Blunders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Authors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Literary Blunders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Goldsmith--french
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Literary Blunders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Memoir
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Literary Blunders; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.