Chapter 1 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME. BY FANNY FERN. ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y. PREFACE.
Chapter 1 of Ruth Hall is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for 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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.”
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading “A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.”
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading “BY FANNY FERN.”
any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores
From this reading “BY FANNY FERN.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “PREFACE.”
lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality
From this reading “STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.”
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 “A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.”
In this reading “ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.”
In this reading “ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for 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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for 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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY FANNY FERN.
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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for 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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading BY FANNY FERN.
any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores
From this reading BY FANNY FERN.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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 STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading PREFACE.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A DOMESTIC TALE OF THE PRESENT TIME.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 216 William St., N. Y.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for 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 1854, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Chapter 1 of Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 100 sentences of Ruth Hall, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3544 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40814, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ruth Hall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Ruth Hall 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 Ruth Hall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
