Chapter 1 of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NOVELS. SHORT STORIES. AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC. "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." --PROVERBS.
Chapter 1 of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading “"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading “"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."”
prudent
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.”
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “NOVELS.”
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading “"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."”
an Old Testament book consisting of proverbs from various Israeli sages (including Solomon)
From this reading “--PROVERBS.”
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading “"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."”
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.
a prose narrative shorter than a novel
In this reading “SHORT STORIES.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
prudent
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading NOVELS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
an Old Testament book consisting of proverbs from various Israeli sages (including Solomon)
From this reading --PROVERBS.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading SHORT STORIES.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading SHORT STORIES.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUARDED FLAME," "VIVIEN," ETC.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
Chapter 1 of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel by W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel by W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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. Thompson: A Novel by W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7152 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39515, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 596 minutes of reading across 1431 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Thompson: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Mrs. Thompson: A Novel 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. Thompson: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
