Chapter 1 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GORDIAN PRESS, INC. GORDIAN PRESS, INC. Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC. My name is John Brenwalter. My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
Chapter 1 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 book or pamphlet containing an enumeration of things
From this reading “Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.”
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading “Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.”
a chronic drinker
From this reading “My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.”
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading “My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.”
extremely intricate; usually in phrase “Gordian knot”
From this reading “GORDIAN PRESS, INC.”
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading “GORDIAN PRESS, INC.”
put together out of artificial or natural components or parts
From this reading “My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.”
obtain a patent for
From this reading “My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.”
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 Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My name is John Brenwalter.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
a book or pamphlet containing an enumeration of things
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
the legislature of the United States government
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
a chronic drinker
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
extremely intricate; usually in phrase “Gordian knot”
From this reading GORDIAN PRESS, INC.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading GORDIAN PRESS, INC.
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My name is John Brenwalter.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading My name is John Brenwalter.
a room where books are kept
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
put together out of artificial or natural components or parts
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My name is John Brenwalter.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading My name is John Brenwalter.
not any; not one
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Library of Congress Card Catalog No 66-14638 EDWARD BROTHERS INC.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
obtain a patent for
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading GORDIAN PRESS, INC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading My father, a drunkard, had a patent for an invention, for making coffee-berries out of clay; but he was an honest man and would not himself engage in the manufacture.
Chapter 1 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 by Ambrose Bierce holds 415 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.
Chapter 1 holds 415 sentences of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 by Ambrose Bierce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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.
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.
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 Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 by Ambrose Bierce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2968 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15599 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15599, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 594 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08 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 Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 08, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
