Chapter 1 of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900. The moral tone is plain. "She is kind to the old blind man." The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives. Much is left to the teacher.
Chapter 1 of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 235 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
plural of “alternative” — one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
From this reading “The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.”
characteristic of the present
From this reading “The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.”
plural of “exercise” — the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.”
providing assistance or serving a useful function
From this reading “The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.”
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading “The moral tone is plain.”
a room in a school where lessons take place
From this reading “Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.”
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading “The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.”
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “Much is left to the teacher.”
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 Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.
plural of “alternative” — one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading "She is kind to the old blind man."
characteristic of the present
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
plural of “exercise” — the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
providing assistance or serving a useful function
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The moral tone is plain.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "She is kind to the old blind man."
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Much is left to the teacher.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "She is kind to the old blind man."
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading The moral tone is plain.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Much is left to the teacher.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "She is kind to the old blind man."
by chance
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The moral tone is plain.
a room in a school where lessons take place
From this reading Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She is kind to the old blind man."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
not in physical motion
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading Much is left to the teacher.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful than some contemporary alternatives.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The moral tone is plain.
accept gladly
From this reading Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900.
Chapter 1 of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey holds 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 235 sentences of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 235 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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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 McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader 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 McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
