Chapter 1 of Precaution: A Novel is here in full — 311 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Precaution: A Novel is here in full — 311 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Precaution. A Novel. By J. Fenimore Cooper. "Be wise to-day. It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
Chapter 1 of Precaution: A Novel is here in full — 311 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/62 · 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.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."”
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading “It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."”
United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)
From this reading “By J. Fenimore Cooper.”
hold back to a later time
From this reading “It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."”
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading “It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “A Novel.”
a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
From this reading “Precaution.”
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “"Be wise to-day.”
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 A Novel.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Be wise to-day.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By J. Fenimore Cooper.
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)
From this reading By J. Fenimore Cooper.
hold back to a later time
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By J. Fenimore Cooper.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading By J. Fenimore Cooper.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading A Novel.
a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
From this reading Precaution.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Be wise to-day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It is madness to defer; To-morrow's caution may arrive too late."
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading "Be wise to-day.
Chapter 1 of Precaution: A Novel by James Fenimore Cooper holds 311 sentences, grouped into 63 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 311 sentences of Precaution: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Precaution: A Novel by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 311 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Precaution: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
