Chapter 1 of Pencillings by the Way is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Pencillings by the Way is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE. BY N. PARKER WILLIS. NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET. MDCCCLX.
Chapter 1 of Pencillings by the Way is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
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_.”
United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading “BY N. PARKER WILLIS.”
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading “WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.”
the words of something written
From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading “BY N. PARKER WILLIS.”
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.
In this reading “WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.”
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 NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
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 MDCCCLX.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading BY N. PARKER WILLIS.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading BY N. PARKER WILLIS.
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
the words of something written
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading BY N. PARKER WILLIS.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
a late time of life
From this reading WRITTEN DURING SOME YEARS OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL IN EUROPE.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
Chapter 1 of Pencillings by the Way by Nathaniel Parker Willis holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 150 sentences of Pencillings by the Way, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Pencillings by the Way by Nathaniel Parker Willis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Pencillings by the Way by Nathaniel Parker Willis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39179 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39179, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1116 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pencillings by the Way section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Pencillings by the Way 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 Pencillings by the Way, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
