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Poor Miss Finch
Poor Miss Finch

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Poor Miss Finch
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
(OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).
WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?
More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."
But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.
The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Poor Miss Finch

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
(OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).
Line 2
WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?
/wɪl juː ˈɑːnər miː baɪ ækˈseptɪŋ ðə ˌdedəˈkeɪʃən ʌv ðɪs bʊk ɪn riˈmembrəns ʌv æn ˌʌnɪntərˈʌptɪd ˈfrendʃɪp ʌv ˈmeni jɪrz/
Line 3
More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."
/mɔːr ðæn wʌn ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ blaɪnd ɡɜːrl ɪn ˈfɪkʃən ənd ɪn ðə ˈdrɑːmə hæz prɪˈsiːdɪd puːr mɪs fɪntʃ/
Line 4
But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.
/bʌt soʊ fɑːr æz aɪ noʊ ˈblaɪndnəs ɪn ðiːz ˈkeɪsəz hæz bɪn ˈɔːlweɪz ɪɡˈzɪbətəd mɔːr ɔːr les ɪkˈskluːsɪvli frʌm ðə aɪˈdiːl ənd ðə ˌsentəˈmentəl pɔɪnt ʌv vjuː/
Line 5
The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.
/ðə əˈtempt hiːr meɪd ɪz tuː əˈpiːl tuː æn ˈɪntrəst ʌv əˈnʌðər kaɪnd baɪ ɪɡˈzɪbɪtɪŋ ˈblaɪndnəs æz ɪt ˈrɪli ɪz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

accepting adjective US /ækˈseptɪŋ/

tolerating without protest

From this reading “WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?”

blindness noun US /ˈblaɪndnəs/

the state of being blind or lacking sight

From this reading “But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.”

bristol noun US /ˈbrɪstəl/

an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon

From this reading “(OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).”

Dedication noun US /ˌdedəˈkeɪʃən/

complete and wholehearted fidelity

From this reading “WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?”

exclusively adverb US /ɪkˈskluːsɪvli/

without any others being included or involved

From this reading “But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.”

exhibiting verb US /ɪɡˈzɪbɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill

From this reading “The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.”

Finch noun US /fɪntʃ/

any of numerous small songbirds with short stout bills adapted for crushing seeds

From this reading “More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."”

uninterrupted adjective US /ˌʌnɪntərˈʌptɪd/

having undisturbed continuity

From this reading “WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

acceptingadjectiveUS /ækˈseptɪŋ/

tolerating without protest

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

appealverbUS /əˈpiːl/

take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

attemptnounUS /əˈtempt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

blindnounUS /blaɪnd/

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

blindnessnounUS /ˈblaɪndnəs/

the state of being blind or lacking sight

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

booknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

BRISTOLnounUS /ˈbrɪstəl/

an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon

From this reading (OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

casesnounUS /ˈkeɪsəz/

plural of “case” — an occurrence of something

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

charmingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

DEANERYnoun

the official residence of a dean

From this reading (OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).

DedicationnounUS /ˌdedəˈkeɪʃən/

complete and wholehearted fidelity

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

dramanounUS /ˈdrɑːmə/

a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

exclusivelyadverbUS /ɪkˈskluːsɪvli/

without any others being included or involved

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

exhibitedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪbətəd/

past form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

exhibitingverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪbɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

fictionnounUS /ˈfɪkʃən/

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

FinchnounUS /fɪntʃ/

any of numerous small songbirds with short stout bills adapted for crushing seeds

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

friendshipnounUS /ˈfrendʃɪp/

the state of being friends (or friendly)

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

honornounUS /ˈɑːnər/

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

idealadjectiveUS /aɪˈdiːl/

conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

MoreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading (OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

PooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

precededverbUS /prɪˈsiːdɪd/

past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

remembrancenounUS /riˈmembrəns/

the ability to recall past occurrences

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

sentimentaladjectiveUS /ˌsentəˈmentəl/

given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading More than one charming blind girl, in fiction and in the drama, has preceded "Poor Miss Finch."

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading (OF THE DEANERY, BRISTOL).

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The attempt here made is to appeal to an interest of another kind, by exhibiting blindness as it really is.

uninterruptedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪntərˈʌptɪd/

having undisturbed continuity

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

viewnounUS /vjuː/

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading But, so far as I know, blindness in these cases has been always exhibited, more or less exclusively, from the ideal and the sentimental point of view.

WILLmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

YOUpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading WILL YOU honor me by accepting the Dedication of this book, in remembrance of an uninterrupted friendship of many years?

Chapter 1 of Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

What does chapter 1 of Poor Miss Finch contain?

Chapter 1 holds 416 sentences of Poor Miss Finch, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Poor Miss Finch?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Poor Miss Finch

Common questions about reading Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Poor Miss Finch?

Yes. All 11370 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3632 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Poor Miss Finch is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3632, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Poor Miss Finch take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Poor Miss Finch section by section

How to work through Poor Miss Finch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 28 chapters of Poor Miss Finch to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Poor Miss Finch

Words and structures a reader meets early in Poor Miss Finch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Deanery
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poor Miss Finch; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bristol
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poor Miss Finch; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Honor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poor Miss Finch; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Accepting
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poor Miss Finch; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.