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Stand Pat
Stand Pat

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Stand Pat is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Stand Pat
Context Illustration Reading 1/94 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.
Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.
And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.
I have no quarrel with Brownsville.
I got away from there.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Stand Pat

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Stand Pat is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/94 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.
/ðə θɪŋz ðæt aɪ sɔː ðæt siːmd ˈwɜːr.ði ʌv noʊt aɪ hæv set daʊn wɪˈθaʊt ˈpredʒədɪs tuː ðə ˈlɪtəl taʊn ʌv ˈbraʊnzvɪl wɪtʃ hæz ɡroʊn sɪns aɪ wɑːz ðer/
Line 2
Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.
Line 3
And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.
Line 4
I have no quarrel with Brownsville.
/aɪ hæv noʊ ˈkwɔːrəl wɪð ˈbraʊnzvɪl/
Line 5
I got away from there.
/aɪ ɡɑːt əˈweɪ frʌm ðer/

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.

Brownsville noun US /ˈbraʊnzvɪl/

a city in southern Texas on the Rio Grande near its mouth into the Gulf of Mexico; has a channel that accommodates oceangoing ships

From this reading “The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.”

citizen noun US /ˈsɪtəzən/

a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community

From this reading “Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.”

civic adjective US /ˈsɪvɪk/

of or relating or belonging to a city

From this reading “And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.”

noted adjective US /ˈnoʊtəd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading “And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.”

picturesque adjective US /ˈpɪktʃərəsk/

suggesting or suitable for a picture; pretty as a picture

From this reading “And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.”

prejudice noun US /ˈpredʒədɪs/

a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

From this reading “The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.”

pursue verb US /pərˈsuː/

carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in

From this reading “Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.”

quarrel noun US /ˈkwɔːrəl/

an angry dispute

From this reading “I have no quarrel with Brownsville.”

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.

without prejudice preposition + noun

In this reading “The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.”

less interesting adverb + adjective

In this reading “Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.”

set down verb + adjective

put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.

In this reading “The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.”

got away verb + particle counted as “get away”

run away from confinement

In this reading “I got away from there.”

little town adjective + noun

In this reading “The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading I got away from there.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

BrownsvillenounUS /ˈbraʊnzvɪl/

a city in southern Texas on the Rio Grande near its mouth into the Gulf of Mexico; has a channel that accommodates oceangoing ships

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

citizennounUS /ˈsɪtəzən/

a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

civicadjectiveUS /ˈsɪvɪk/

of or relating or belonging to a city

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I got away from there.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading I got away from there.

grownadjectiveUS /ɡroʊn/

(of animals) fully developed

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

interestingadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

arousing or holding the attention

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

notedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

one's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

picturesqueadjectiveUS /ˈpɪktʃərəsk/

suggesting or suitable for a picture; pretty as a picture

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

prejudicenounUS /ˈpredʒədɪs/

a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

pridenounUS /praɪd/

a feeling of self-respect and personal worth

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

pursueverbUS /pərˈsuː/

carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

quarrelnounUS /ˈkwɔːrəl/

an angry dispute

From this reading I have no quarrel with Brownsville.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

Stumpyadjective

short and thick; as e.g. having short legs and heavy musculature

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

sufferverbUS /ˈsʌfər/

undergo or be subjected to

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

vindictivelyadverb

in a vindictive, revengeful manner

From this reading Let no citizen of the place pursue me vindictively because I found him less interesting than Stumpy.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading And let no one’s civic pride suffer because I noted in the town only what seemed to me picturesque.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I have no quarrel with Brownsville.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

worthyadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːr.ði/

Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.

From this reading The things that I saw, that seemed worthy of note, I have set down without prejudice to the little town of Brownsville, which has grown since I was there.

Chapter 1 of Stand Pat by David A. Curtis holds 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 Stand Pat contain?

Chapter 1 holds 470 sentences of Stand Pat, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Stand Pat by David A. Curtis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 Stand Pat?

Work through the 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 94 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 Stand Pat

Common questions about reading Stand Pat by David A. Curtis on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Stand Pat?

Yes. All 2322 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51760 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Stand Pat is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #51760, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Stand Pat take to read?

About 193 minutes of reading across 465 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Stand Pat section by section

How to work through Stand Pat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of Stand Pat to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Stand Pat

Words and structures a reader meets early in Stand Pat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Things
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stand Pat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seemed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stand Pat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Worthy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stand Pat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Without
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stand Pat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.