Chapter 1 of Malbone: An Oldport Romance is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Malbone: An Oldport Romance is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OLDPORT ROMANCE. “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her? Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.” --THOREAU, MS. Diary.
Chapter 1 of Malbone: An Oldport Romance is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading “Diary.”
full of events or incidents
From this reading ““What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?”
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading “Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.””
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “AN OLDPORT ROMANCE.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.””
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.””
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading “Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.””
United States writer and social critic (1817-1862)
From this reading “--THOREAU, MS.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OLDPORT ROMANCE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading Diary.
full of events or incidents
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
characteristic of humanity
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
used to form the superlative
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers
From this reading --THOREAU, MS.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN OLDPORT ROMANCE.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading AN OLDPORT ROMANCE.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
United States writer and social critic (1817-1862)
From this reading --THOREAU, MS.
except if; if not
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Many joys and many sorrows are the lights and shadows in which she shows most beautiful.”
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “What is Nature unless there is an eventful human life passing within her?
Chapter 1 of Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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.
Chapter 1 holds 158 sentences of Malbone: An Oldport Romance, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2572 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #993 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #993, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 515 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Malbone: An Oldport Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Malbone: An Oldport Romance 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 Malbone: An Oldport Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
