Chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace is here in full — 569 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace is here in full — 569 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy. Numbers are just broken-hearted. I don't like it--it's brutal." "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully. The older woman agreed.
Chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace is here in full — 569 sentences across 114 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 10/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 46–50
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 cherished desire
From this reading “"Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.”
past form of “argue” — present reasons and arguments
From this reading “"Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “I don't like it--it's brutal."”
a .45-caliber pistol
From this reading “It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.”
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading “"Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.”
a positive motivational influence
From this reading “"Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.”
the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt
From this reading “Numbers are just broken-hearted.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “The older woman agreed.”
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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading The older woman agreed.
a cherished desire
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Numbers are just broken-hearted.
past form of “argue” — present reasons and arguments
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Numbers are just broken-hearted.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading I don't like it--it's brutal."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't like it--it's brutal."
in a doubtful manner
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
a .45-caliber pistol
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
a young female
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't like it--it's brutal."
a positive motivational influence
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't like it--it's brutal."
and nothing more
From this reading Numbers are just broken-hearted.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I don't like it--it's brutal."
attach a tag or label to
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt
From this reading Numbers are just broken-hearted.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading The older woman agreed.
and nothing more
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It means so much to them, and only forty-five can go away happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The older woman agreed.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, but it's an incentive to the under-classmen--it holds them to the mark and gives them ambition, doesn't it?" the girl argued doubtfully.
Chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews holds 569 sentences, grouped into 114 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 569 sentences of The Courage of the Commonplace, unabridged, divided into 114 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 569 sentences, grouped into 114 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 114 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 114 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 Courage of the Commonplace by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 569 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5825 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5825, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 47 minutes of reading across 114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Courage of the Commonplace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Courage of the Commonplace 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 Courage of the Commonplace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
