Chapter 1 of The Connoisseur is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Connoisseur is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him. Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me! It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young. They are vastly more respectful. Twelve is a good purchasing age.
Chapter 1 of The Connoisseur is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.”
without bounds
From this reading “It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.”
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading “Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!”
the acquisition of something for payment
From this reading “It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.”
the act of buying
From this reading “Twelve is a good purchasing age.”
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading “They are vastly more respectful.”
giving satisfaction
From this reading “It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.”
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading “They are vastly more respectful.”
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 “It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.”
In this reading “They are vastly more respectful.”
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 Twelve is a good purchasing age.
how long something has existed
From this reading Twelve is a good purchasing age.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
at any time
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Twelve is a good purchasing age.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
without bounds
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
the acquisition of something for payment
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
the act of buying
From this reading Twelve is a good purchasing age.
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading They are vastly more respectful.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
giving satisfaction
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
cut with a saw
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading Sooner or later I knew he'd insult me!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Twelve is a good purchasing age.
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading They are vastly more respectful.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He said I was the biggest knuckle-head he ever saw, but I didn't trust him.
at the time that
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading It is infinitely more satisfactory to purchase wives when they are young.
Chapter 1 of The Connoisseur by Frank Banta holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 119 sentences of The Connoisseur, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Connoisseur by Frank Banta exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Connoisseur by Frank Banta on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 119 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60991 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60991, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 9 minutes of reading across 24 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Connoisseur section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Connoisseur 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 Connoisseur, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
