Chapter 1 of Our Nig is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Our Nig is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Sposin' we marry!" Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?" Jim felt abashed for a moment. He knew well what were her objections. "You's had trial of white folks any how.
Chapter 1 of Our Nig is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 18/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 86–90
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.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “Jim felt abashed for a moment.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"”
your parents
From this reading “"You's had trial of white folks any how.”
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading “Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"”
plural of “objection” — the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading “He knew well what were her objections.”
full and loud and deep
From this reading “Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"”
the act of testing something
From this reading “"You's had trial of white folks any how.”
communicated in words
From this reading “Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"”
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 Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading Jim felt abashed for a moment.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Jim felt abashed for a moment.
your parents
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Jim felt abashed for a moment.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew well what were her objections.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim felt abashed for a moment.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew well what were her objections.
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
take in marriage
From this reading 'Sposin' we marry!"
a particular point in time
From this reading Jim felt abashed for a moment.
plural of “objection” — the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading He knew well what were her objections.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
full and loud and deep
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Sposin' we marry!"
the act of testing something
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
communicated in words
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading 'Sposin' we marry!"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He knew well what were her objections.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He knew well what were her objections.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Mag raised her eyes, full of amazement, and uttered a sonorous "What?"
a Caucasian
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You's had trial of white folks any how.
Chapter 1 of Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of Our Nig, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Nig by Harriet E. Wilson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #584 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #584, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 123 minutes of reading across 296 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Our Nig section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Our Nig 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 Nig, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
