Chapter 1 of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. MY MISCELLANIES. AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c. &c. &c.
Chapter 1 of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.”
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.”
the words of something written
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
a Caucasian
From this reading “AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.”
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.
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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY MISCELLANIES.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY MISCELLANIES.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
not any; not one
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
the words of something written
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
a Caucasian
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading AUTHOR OF 'THE WOMAN IN WHITE,' 'NO NAME,' 'THE DEAD SECRET,' &c.
Chapter 1 of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Wilkie Collins holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3048 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43893 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43893, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 610 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2) 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 My Miscellanies, Vol. 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
