Chapter 1 of Our American Cousin is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Our American Cousin is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands. Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers. Coyle Are you sober, sirrah? Murcott Yes, Mr. Coyle. Coyle Then see you keep so.
Chapter 1 of Our American Cousin is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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 flexible container with a single opening
From this reading “Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.”
a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
From this reading “Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.”
to come or go into
From this reading “Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.”
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading “Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.”
puffed up with vanity
From this reading “Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.”
a very steep cliff
From this reading “Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.”
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “Coyle Are you sober, sirrah?”
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading “Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.”
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 Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Coyle Are you sober, sirrah?
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.
a member of the British order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
to come or go into
From this reading Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Coyle Then see you keep so.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Murcott Yes, Mr. Coyle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.
puffed up with vanity
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
a very steep cliff
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Coyle Then see you keep so.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
formerly a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy; often used in anger
From this reading Coyle Are you sober, sirrah?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Coyle Then see you keep so.
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Coyle Are you sober, sirrah?
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Coyle Then see you keep so.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Coyle And now to show this pompous baronet the precipice on which he stands.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Enter Murcott, with green bag and papers.
an affirmative
From this reading Murcott Yes, Mr. Coyle.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Coyle Are you sober, sirrah?
Chapter 1 of Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor holds 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 274 sentences of Our American Cousin, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Our American Cousin by Tom Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1101 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3158 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3158, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our American Cousin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Our American Cousin 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 Our American Cousin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
