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Signing the Contract, and What It Cost
Signing the Contract, and What It Cost

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Signing the Contract, and What It Cost
Context Illustration Reading 1/1 · 7 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 7
In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.
Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.
Simple typographical errors have been corrected.
The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.
“The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”
SHAKESPEARE.
SIGNING THE CONTRACT.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Signing the Contract, and What It Cost

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is here in full — 7 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/1 · 7 reading units · Lines 1–7

Line 1
In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.
Line 2
Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.
/ˈveriənt ˈspelɪŋ hæz bɪn rɪˈteɪnd æz hæz ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/
Line 3
Simple typographical errors have been corrected.
/ˈsɪmpəl ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl ˈerərz hæv bɪn kərˈektəd/
Line 4
The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.
/ðə ˈteɪbəl ʌv ˈkɑːntents wɑːz ˈædəd baɪ ðə trænˈskraɪbər/
Line 5
“The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”
/ðə web ʌv ˈaʊər laɪf ɪz ʌv ə ˈmænəfoʊld jɑːrn ɡʊd ənd ɪl təˈɡeðər/
Line 6
SHAKESPEARE.
/ˈʃeɪkspiːr/
Line 7
SIGNING THE CONTRACT.
/ˈsaɪnɪŋ ðə ˈkɑːntrækt/

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.

capitals noun US /ˈkæpətəlz/

plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading “In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.”

hyphenation noun US /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading “Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.”

italics noun US /aɪˈtælɪks/

plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading “In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.”

manifold noun US /ˈmænəfoʊld/

a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes

From this reading ““The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.””

Transcriber noun US /trænˈskraɪbər/

a person who translates written messages from one language to another

From this reading “The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.”

typographical adjective US /ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl/

relating to or occurring or used in typography

From this reading “Simple typographical errors have been corrected.”

underscores noun US /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

Variant noun US /ˈveriənt/

an event that departs from expectations

From this reading “Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

small capitals adjective + noun counted as “small capital”

a character having the form of an upper-case letter but the same height as lower-case letters

In this reading “In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.

capitalsnounUS /ˈkæpətəlz/

plural of “capital” — assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

ContentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.

ContractverbUS /ˈkɑːntrækt/

enter into a contractual arrangement

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

correctedadjectiveUS /kərˈektəd/

having something undesirable neutralized

From this reading Simple typographical errors have been corrected.

errorsnounUS /ˈerərz/

plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading Simple typographical errors have been corrected.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Simple typographical errors have been corrected.

hyphenationnounUS /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

inconsistentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/

displaying a lack of consistency

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

italicsnounUS /aɪˈtælɪks/

plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

manifoldnounUS /ˈmænəfoʊld/

a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

markedadjectiveUS /mɑːrkt/

strongly marked; easily noticeable

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

retainedadjectiveUS /rɪˈteɪnd/

continued in your keeping or use or memory

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

SHAKESPEAREnounUS /ˈʃeɪkspiːr/

English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)

From this reading SHAKESPEARE.

shownverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

SigningnounUS /ˈsaɪnɪŋ/

language expressed by visible hand gestures

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

SimpleadjectiveUS /ˈsɪmpəl/

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading Simple typographical errors have been corrected.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

spellingnounUS /ˈspelɪŋ/

forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

TablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

TranscribernounUS /trænˈskraɪbər/

a person who translates written messages from one language to another

From this reading The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.

typographicaladjectiveUS /ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl/

relating to or occurring or used in typography

From this reading Simple typographical errors have been corrected.

underscoresnounUS /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

UPPERCASEnoun

one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

VariantnounUS /ˈveriənt/

an event that departs from expectations

From this reading Variant spelling has been retained, as has inconsistent hyphenation.

versionnounUS /ˈvɜːrʒən/

an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The Table of Contents was added by the Transcriber.

webnounUS /web/

an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading In this text version of “Signing the Contract”: words in italics are marked with _underscores_ words in small capitals are shown in UPPERCASE.

yarnnounUS /jɑːrn/

the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events

From this reading “The web of our life is of a manifold yarn, good and ill together.”

Chapter 1 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley holds 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost contain?

Chapter 1 holds 7 sentences of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 7 sentences, grouped into 2 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost?

Work through the 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 2 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 Signing the Contract, and What It Cost

Common questions about reading Signing the Contract, and What It Cost by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost?

Yes. All 4162 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #48249, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Signing the Contract, and What It Cost take to read?

About 346 minutes of reading across 833 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Signing the Contract, and What It Cost

Words and structures a reader meets early in Signing the Contract, and What It Cost, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Version
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Signing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Contract
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Words
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Signing the Contract, and What It Cost; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.