Chapter 1 of Prue and I is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Prue and I is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PRUE AND I. GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS. "Knitters in the sun." _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER. An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
Chapter 1 of Prue and I is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
A short, wide strip of silk fabric worn by gentlemen around the neck inside an open-collared shirt.
From this reading “An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.”
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading “GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.”
third-person singular of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.”
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
From this reading “An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.”
not often
From this reading “An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.”
plural of “source” — the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading “An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.”
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
plural of “wear” — impairment resulting from long use
From this reading “An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.”
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 _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PRUE AND I.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
without doubt or question
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
A short, wide strip of silk fabric worn by gentlemen around the neck inside an open-collared shirt.
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
English botanical writer and publisher (1746-1799)
From this reading GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.
third-person singular of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading PRUE AND I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Knitters in the sun."
a message received and understood
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Knitters in the sun."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
not any; not one
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
a human being
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PRUE AND I.
not often
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
plural of “source” — the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading "Knitters in the sun."
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Knitters in the sun."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
From this reading _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
plural of “wear” — impairment resulting from long use
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
a Caucasian
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
which person or people
From this reading An old book-keeper, who wears a white cravat and black trowsers in the morning, who rarely goes to the opera, and never dines out, is clearly a person of no fashion and of no superior sources of information.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading _Twelfth Night._ A WORD TO THE GENTLE READER.
Chapter 1 of Prue and I by George William Curtis holds 418 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.
Chapter 1 holds 418 sentences of Prue and I, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Prue and I by George William Curtis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 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.
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.
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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Yes. All 2059 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8645 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8645, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 171 minutes of reading across 412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prue and I section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Prue and I 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 Prue and I, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
