Chapter 1 of Square and Compasses is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Square and Compasses is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB. II. SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS. III. SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
Chapter 1 of Square and Compasses is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading “_The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.”
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.”
French explorer in Nova Scotia who established a settlement on the site of modern Quebec (1567-1635)
From this reading “SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.”
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading “_The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.”
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading “SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.”
the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies in a frame of reference
From this reading “SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “_The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.”
offering safety; well protected or concealed
From this reading “SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.”
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.
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.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
French explorer in Nova Scotia who established a settlement on the site of modern Quebec (1567-1635)
From this reading SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III.
the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies in a frame of reference
From this reading SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
offering safety; well protected or concealed
From this reading SNUG HARBOR; OR, THE CHAMPLAIN MECHANICS.
make square
From this reading SQUARE AND COMPASSES; OR, BUILDING THE HOUSE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Boat-Builder Series._ I. ALL ADRIFT; OR, THE GOLDWING CLUB.
Chapter 1 of Square and Compasses by Oliver Optic holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of Square and Compasses, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Square and Compasses by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Square and Compasses by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3236 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52351, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 269 minutes of reading across 648 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Square and Compasses section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Square and Compasses 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 Square and Compasses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
