Chapter 1 of The Bishop's purse is here in full — 10 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Bishop's purse is here in full — 10 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her." Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
Chapter 1 of The Bishop's purse is here in full — 10 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/2 · 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.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."”
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading “"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."”
except for; apart from
From this reading “"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."”
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."”
a special situation
From this reading “"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."”
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.
In this reading “"Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."”
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 "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
an ornamental facade
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
except for; apart from
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
in or at or to some place
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
a special situation
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Frontispiece "It seemed to Hester that she had seen this man somewhere before."
not seen or perceived
From this reading "Then, in a flash of inspiration, unseen by the others, she did the one thing that could save her."
Chapter 1 of The Bishop's purse by Cleveland Moffett holds 10 sentences, grouped into 2 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 10 sentences of The Bishop's purse, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Bishop's purse by Cleveland Moffett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 10 sentences, grouped into 2 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 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 2 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 Bishop's purse by Cleveland Moffett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bishop's purse section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Bishop's purse 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 Bishop's purse, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
