Chapter 1 of Seth Jones is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Seth Jones is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=). SETH JONES. BEADLE AND COMPANY. Glorious “Old Kentuck!” _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
Chapter 1 of Seth Jones is here in full — 23 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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 minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
From this reading “BEADLE AND COMPANY.”
a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading “_Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.”
a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
From this reading “_Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.”
represent in bodily form
From this reading “_Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.”
pleasing to the mind or feeling
From this reading “_Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.”
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).”
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading “SETH JONES.”
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading “Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).”
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 “_Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
From this reading BEADLE AND COMPANY.
fearless and daring
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading BEADLE AND COMPANY.
a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
represent in bodily form
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading Glorious “Old Kentuck!”
pleasing to the mind or feeling
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading SETH JONES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Glorious “Old Kentuck!”
a state in east central United States; a border state during the American Civil War; famous for breeding race horses
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
used to form the superlative
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Glorious “Old Kentuck!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading SETH JONES.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
the words of something written
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)
From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_), and text enclosed by equal signs is in bold (=bold=).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading _Will embody one of the most gratifying Novels of the year, viz._:-- JO DAVIESS’ CLIENT; OR, ‘COURTING’ IN KENTUCKY.
Chapter 1 of Seth Jones by Edward Sylvester Ellis holds 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 23 sentences of Seth Jones, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Seth Jones by Edward Sylvester Ellis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 23 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Seth Jones by Edward Sylvester Ellis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2591 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58422 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58422, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 215 minutes of reading across 519 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seth Jones section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Seth Jones 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 Seth Jones, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
