Chapter 1 of Mrs. Fitz is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mrs. Fitz is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot. "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper. "This unspeakable climate! Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?" "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
Chapter 1 of Mrs. Fitz is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading “"This unspeakable climate!”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.”
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading “"Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “"Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.”
continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place
From this reading “"Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.”
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading “Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"”
-ing form of “snow” — fall as snow
From this reading “"It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.”
defying expression or description
From this reading “"This unspeakable climate!”
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 “"Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.”
In this reading “"Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.
for the reason that
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading "This unspeakable climate!
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
having official authority or sanction
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.
-ing form of “snow” — fall as snow
From this reading "It is snowing," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This unspeakable climate!
defying expression or description
From this reading "This unspeakable climate!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
which person or people
From this reading "Because he is a permanent official," said Joseph Jocelyn De Vere Vane-Anstruther, who was coming into the room.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why can't we sack the Clerk of the Weather?"
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading "Worse luck!" growled I from behind my newspaper.
Chapter 1 of Mrs. Fitz by J. C. (John Collis) Snaith holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 145 sentences of Mrs. Fitz, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mrs. Fitz by J. C. (John Collis) Snaith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Mrs. Fitz by J. C. (John Collis) Snaith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5325 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34398 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34398, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Fitz section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Mrs. Fitz 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 Mrs. Fitz, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
