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The Courage of the Commonplace
The Courage of the Commonplace

Chapter I · Chapter 1

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.

Cover illustration for The Courage of the Commonplace
Context Illustration Reading 108/113 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.
"I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.
He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.
Each place is the best.
And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Courage of the Commonplace

Chapter I · Chapter 1

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 108/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 536–540

Line 1
"All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.
/ɔːl raɪt fɔːr ɪˈlevən ˈdʒɑːni əˈɡriːd/
Line 2
"I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.
Line 3
He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.
/hiː faʊnd hɜːr ɪn ə ˈɡɑːrdən wɪtʃ ɪz ðə best pleɪs tuː meɪk lʌv/
Line 4
Each place is the best.
/iːtʃ pleɪs ɪz ðə best/
Line 5
And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.
/ənd ɪn sʌm ˈmɪstɪkəl ˈmænər ɔːl ðə daʊt ənd ənˈhæpinɪs wɪtʃ hæd bɪn ɡɔːn ˈoʊvər ɪn ˈleɪbərd ˈvɑːljuːmz ʌv θɔːts baɪ iːtʃ əˈloʊn ˈmeltəd tuː ˈnʌθɪŋ æt tuː ɔːr θriː ˈbroʊkən ˈsentənsəz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

eleven adjective US /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading “"All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.”

Johnny noun US /ˈdʒɑːni/

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading “"All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.”

labored adjective US /ˈleɪbərd/

lacking natural ease

From this reading “And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.”

melted adjective US /ˈmeltəd/

changed from a solid to a liquid state

From this reading “And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.”

mystical adjective US /ˈmɪstɪkəl/

relating to or characteristic of mysticism

From this reading “And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.”

sentences noun US /ˈsentənsəz/

plural of “sentence” — a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading “And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.”

unhappiness noun US /ənˈhæpinɪs/

emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being

From this reading “And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.”

volumes noun US /ˈvɑːljuːmz/

plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading “And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

agreedadjectiveUS /əˈɡriːd/

united by being of the same opinion

From this reading "All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

EachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Each place is the best.

elevenadjectiveUS /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading "All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

head-quarters

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

I'll

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

JohnnynounUS /ˈdʒɑːni/

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading "All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.

laboredadjectiveUS /ˈleɪbərd/

lacking natural ease

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

meltedadjectiveUS /ˈmeltəd/

changed from a solid to a liquid state

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

mysticaladjectiveUS /ˈmɪstɪkəl/

relating to or characteristic of mysticism

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "All right for eleven," Johnny agreed.

sentencesnounUS /ˈsentənsəz/

plural of “sentence” — a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

unhappinessnounUS /ənˈhæpinɪs/

emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

volumesnounUS /ˈvɑːljuːmz/

plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object

From this reading And in some mystical manner all the doubt and unhappiness which had been gone over in labored volumes of thoughts by each alone, melted to nothing, at two or three broken sentences.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "I'll be at head-quarters then--but I'm going now," and he went.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading He found her in a garden, which is the best place to make love.

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.

What does chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace contain?

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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Courage of the Commonplace?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Courage of the Commonplace

Common questions about reading The Courage of the Commonplace by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Courage of the Commonplace?

Yes. All 569 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5825 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Courage of the Commonplace is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5825, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Courage of the Commonplace take to read?

About 47 minutes of reading across 114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Courage of the Commonplace section by section

How to work through The Courage of the Commonplace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Courage of the Commonplace

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Courage of the Commonplace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chaperon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Courage of the Commonplace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Deposited
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Courage of the Commonplace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Early
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Courage of the Commonplace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Desirable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Courage of the Commonplace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.