Chapter 1 of The book of one syllable is here in full — 758 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The book of one syllable is here in full — 758 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE. ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS. LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE. NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET. DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.
Chapter 1 of The book of one syllable is here in full — 758 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/151 · 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.
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
From this reading “LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.”
a city in southwestern New Jersey on the Delaware River near Philadelphia
From this reading “DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.”
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.”
plural of “engraving” — a print made from an engraving
From this reading “ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.”
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.”
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading “THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE.
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.
a city in southwestern New Jersey on the Delaware River near Philadelphia
From this reading DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.
plural of “engraving” — a print made from an engraving
From this reading ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading DALZIEL BROTHERS, CAMDEN PRESS, LONDON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET.
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOOK OF ONE SYLLABLE.
in the company of; together with
From this reading ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED ENGRAVINGS.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET.
Chapter 1 of The book of one syllable by Esther Bakewell holds 758 sentences, grouped into 152 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 758 sentences of The book of one syllable, unabridged, divided into 152 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The book of one syllable by Esther Bakewell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 758 sentences, grouped into 152 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 152 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 152 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 book of one syllable by Esther Bakewell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 758 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23453 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23453, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 63 minutes of reading across 152 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The book of one syllable section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The book of one syllable 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 book of one syllable, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
