Chapter 1 of Mignon is here in full — 14 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mignon is here in full — 14 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.” 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms. “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.” 33 Mignon’s own–illustration. 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
Chapter 1 of Mignon is here in full — 14 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/2 · 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.
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading “17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.”
in an awkward manner
From this reading “17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.”
express strong disapproval of
From this reading ““I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.””
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading ““I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.””
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “33 Mignon’s own–illustration.”
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading “37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.”
without much difficulty
From this reading “_Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.””
being of use or service
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “_Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.””
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “_Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.””
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 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 33 Mignon’s own–illustration.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
later than; following
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
in an awkward manner
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
express strong disapproval of
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading 33 Mignon’s own–illustration.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
held up in the air
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 33 Mignon’s own–illustration.
used to form the superlative
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading 33 Mignon’s own–illustration.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading 17 Bootles, proud of his new accomplishment, lifted the child awkwardly 21 in his arms.
without much difficulty
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
a special situation
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
being of use or service
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 37 Mrs. Gray rose and went close to him, laying her hand upon his arm.
a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor
From this reading “I can’t condemn that helpless thing to the workhouse.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Books you may hold readily in your hand are the most useful_, _after all_ “Let’s go and have a look at it.”
Chapter 1 of Mignon by John Strange Winter holds 14 sentences, grouped into 3 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 14 sentences of Mignon, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mignon by John Strange Winter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 14 sentences, grouped into 3 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 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 3 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 Mignon by John Strange Winter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
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 Mignon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Mignon 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 Mignon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
