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.
I was afraid you lacked manliness. Then came--a disappointment. It was a blow to us--to family pride. I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly. I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
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 38/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 186–190
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.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.”
happiness with one's situation in life
From this reading “I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.”
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “Then came--a disappointment.”
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading “I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.”
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading “I was afraid you lacked manliness.”
the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
From this reading “I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.”
with honesty
From this reading “I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.”
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading “I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.”
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 Then came--a disappointment.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I was afraid you lacked manliness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
exhale hard
From this reading It was a blow to us--to family pride.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then came--a disappointment.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
happiness with one's situation in life
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading Then came--a disappointment.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
a social unit living together
From this reading It was a blow to us--to family pride.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was afraid you lacked manliness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a blow to us--to family pride.
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading I was afraid you lacked manliness.
the trait of being manly; having the characteristics of an adult male
From this reading I was afraid you lacked manliness.
the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading It was a blow to us--to family pride.
with honesty
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
cut with a saw
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
express in words
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then came--a disappointment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a blow to us--to family pride.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was a blow to us--to family pride.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I wanted to tell you of my contentment, but being slow of speech I--couldn't.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was afraid you lacked manliness.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I was afraid you lacked manliness.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I watched you more closely, and I saw before that year ended that you were taking your medicine rightly.
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.
