Chapter 1 of Sketches New and Old is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Sketches New and Old is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SECRET REVEALED. It was night. Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein. The year 1222 was drawing to a close. Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
Chapter 1 of Sketches New and Old is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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 “castle” — a large and stately mansion
From this reading “Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.”
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “The year 1222 was drawing to a close.”
of or relating to or characteristic of feudalism
From this reading “Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.”
past form of “reign” — have sovereign power
From this reading “Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.”
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading “THE SECRET REVEALED.”
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading “Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.”
superlative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.”
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading “Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.”
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 The year 1222 was drawing to a close.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The year 1222 was drawing to a close.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
possessive form of “castle” — a large and stately mansion
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The year 1222 was drawing to a close.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading The year 1222 was drawing to a close.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
of or relating to or characteristic of feudalism
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
past form of “reign” — have sovereign power
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading THE SECRET REVEALED.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading THE SECRET REVEALED.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading Stillness reigned in the grand old feudal castle of Klugenstein.
superlative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SECRET REVEALED.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The year 1222 was drawing to a close.
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Far away up in the tallest of the castle's towers a single light glimmered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was night.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading The year 1222 was drawing to a close.
Chapter 1 of Sketches New and Old by Mark Twain holds 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 68 sentences of Sketches New and Old, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Sketches New and Old by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 Sketches New and Old by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2319 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 464 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sketches New and Old section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Sketches New and Old 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 Sketches New and Old, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
