Chapter 1 of Pierre is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Pierre is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PIERRE: OR, THE AMBIGUITIES. BY HERMAN MELVILLE. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York. Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty. In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
Chapter 1 of Pierre is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
plural of “ambiguity” — an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
From this reading “PIERRE: OR, THE AMBIGUITIES.”
plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.”
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.”
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.”
-ing form of “dedicate” — give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
From this reading “In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.”
United States jazz musician and bandleader (1913-1987)
From this reading “BY HERMAN MELVILLE.”
United States writer of novels and short stories (1819-1891)
From this reading “BY HERMAN MELVILLE.”
a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading “In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.”
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 “Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty.”
past times remembered with nostalgia
In this reading “In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.”
In this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.”
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 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
plural of “ambiguity” — an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
From this reading PIERRE: OR, THE AMBIGUITIES.
plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY HERMAN MELVILLE.
possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
-ing form of “dedicate” — give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty.
United States jazz musician and bandleader (1913-1987)
From this reading BY HERMAN MELVILLE.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty.
United States writer of novels and short stories (1819-1891)
From this reading BY HERMAN MELVILLE.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading PIERRE: OR, THE AMBIGUITIES.
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading PIERRE: OR, THE AMBIGUITIES.
a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PIERRE: OR, THE AMBIGUITIES.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading In old times authors were proud of the privilege of dedicating their works to Majesty.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
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 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York.
Chapter 1 of Pierre by Herman Melville holds 278 sentences, grouped into 56 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 278 sentences of Pierre, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Pierre by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 278 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Pierre by Herman Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6047 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 503 minutes of reading across 1210 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pierre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Pierre 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 Pierre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
