Chapter 1 of The Attaché is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Attaché is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell. I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia. He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks. My first impression of him was by no means favourable. He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
Chapter 1 of The Attaché is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 14/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70
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.
European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage
From this reading “He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.”
a business engaged in manufacturing some product
From this reading “He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.”
a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and becomes more luminous in the process
From this reading “I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.”
a local church community
From this reading “Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.”
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading “Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.”
a slippery smoothness
From this reading “Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.”
in an unceremonious manner
From this reading “He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.”
someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money
From this reading “He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
having fair knowledge of
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading My first impression of him was by no means favourable.
European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
encouraging or approving or pleasing
From this reading My first impression of him was by no means favourable.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading My first impression of him was by no means favourable.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
a business engaged in manufacturing some product
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading My first impression of him was by no means favourable.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My first impression of him was by no means favourable.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
not any; not one
From this reading My first impression of him was by no means favourable.
a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and becomes more luminous in the process
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
a local church community
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
a slippery smoothness
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Samuel Slick is a native of the same parish, and received his education from Mr. Hopewell.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
in an unceremonious manner
From this reading He forced himself most unceremoniously into my company and conversation.
someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
during the time that
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I first became acquainted with him while travelling in Nova Scotia.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading He was then a manufacturer and vendor of wooden clocks.
Chapter 1 of The Attaché by Thomas Chandler Haliburton holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 89 sentences of The Attaché, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Attaché by Thomas Chandler Haliburton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 The Attaché by Thomas Chandler Haliburton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1947 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7821 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7821, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 162 minutes of reading across 390 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Attaché section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Attaché 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 The Attaché, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
