Chapter 1 of My Bondage and My Freedom is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of My Bondage and My Freedom is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RECEPTION SPEECH [10]. At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER. [11]. To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY. Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
Chapter 1 of My Bondage and My Freedom is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 Scottish word
From this reading “To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.”
possessive form of “campbell” — United States mythologist (1904-1987)
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
From this reading “Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.”
the quality of lacking compassion or consideration for others
From this reading “Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.”
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading “Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.”
the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading “RECEPTION SPEECH [10].”
a city in western New York; a center of the photographic equipment industry
From this reading “Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.”
the state of being under the control of another person
From this reading “To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.”
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 RECEPTION SPEECH [10].
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [11].
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
a Scottish word
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
possessive form of “campbell” — United States mythologist (1904-1987)
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
the quality of lacking compassion or consideration for others
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading RECEPTION SPEECH [10].
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
a city in western New York; a center of the photographic equipment industry
From this reading Extract from a Lecture on Slavery, at Rochester, INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY.
the state of being under the control of another person
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading RECEPTION SPEECH [10].
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading To My Old Master, Thomas Auld THE NATURE OF SLAVERY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, Dr. Campbell’s Reply LETTER TO HIS OLD MASTER.
Chapter 1 of My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 203 sentences of My Bondage and My Freedom, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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.
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Yes. All 5258 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #202 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #202, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1052 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in My Bondage and My Freedom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
