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.
"Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine? Why do we drink to him? What are you all grinning about, anyway?" The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own. "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
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 45/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 221–225
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 pauper who lives by begging
From this reading “"Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.”
plural of “bubble” — a hollow globule of gas (e.g., air or carbon dioxide)
From this reading “The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.”
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.”
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading “The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.”
outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
From this reading “The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “What are you all grinning about, anyway?"”
“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 “"Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.”
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “"Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
(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 What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
a pauper who lives by begging
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
plural of “bubble” — a hollow globule of gas (e.g., air or carbon dioxide)
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do we drink to him?
take in liquids
From this reading Why do we drink to him?
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
coins made of gold
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why do we drink to him?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
“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 "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?
a projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall
From this reading "Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading "Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why do we drink to him?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The cork flew up to the ceiling, and the butler poured gold bubbles into the glasses, all but his own.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Why do we drink to him?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who's the superintendent of the Oriel mine?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't I drink to the beggar, too, whoever he is?" asked Johnny, and moved his glass and glanced up at Mullins.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why do we drink to him?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What are you all grinning about, anyway?"
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.
