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Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors
Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
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STORIES AND SKETCHES.
OUR BEST AUTHORS.
BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.
1867.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
STORIES AND SKETCHES.
/ˈstɔːriz ənd ˈsketʃəz/
Line 2
OUR BEST AUTHORS.
/ˈaʊər best ˈɔːθərz/
Line 3
BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.
/ˈbɑːstən liː ənd ˈʃepərd/
Line 4
1867.
Line 5
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

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.

authors noun US /ˈɔːθərz/

plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading “OUR BEST AUTHORS.”

Clerk's noun US /klɜːrks/

possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

Congress noun US /ˈkɑːŋɡrəs/

the legislature of the United States government

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

District noun US /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

lee noun US /liː/

United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)

From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.”

Massachusetts noun US /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

shepard noun US /ˈʃepərd/

United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)

From this reading “BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.”

sketches noun US /ˈsketʃəz/

plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration

From this reading “STORIES AND SKETCHES.”

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.

Act of verb + particle

In this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

All words in this reading · 25

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.

1867

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

From this reading 1867.

accordingadjectiveUS /əˈkɔːrdɪŋ/

(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

ActverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading STORIES AND SKETCHES.

AUTHORSnounUS /ˈɔːθərz/

plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading OUR BEST AUTHORS.

BESTnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading OUR BEST AUTHORS.

BOSTONnounUS /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

Clerk'snounUS /klɜːrks/

possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

CongressnounUS /ˈkɑːŋɡrəs/

the legislature of the United States government

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

DistrictnounUS /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

EnteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

LEEnounUS /liː/

United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)

From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.

MassachusettsnounUS /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

OfficenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

OURdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading OUR BEST AUTHORS.

SHEPARDnounUS /ˈʃepərd/

United States author of surrealistic allegorical plays (born in 1943)

From this reading BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD.

SKETCHESnounUS /ˈsketʃəz/

plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration

From this reading STORIES AND SKETCHES.

STORIESnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading STORIES AND SKETCHES.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

Chapter 1 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors by Various holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors contain?

Chapter 1 holds 413 sentences of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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 Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Common questions about reading Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors?

Yes. All 2911 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53178 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53178, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors take to read?

About 242 minutes of reading across 583 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors section by section

How to work through Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors 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 Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors

Words and structures a reader meets early in Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stories
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sketches
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Authors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Boston
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stories and Sketches by Our Best Authors; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.