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.
They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway. But you will have it, will you? I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true. Of course I'm keen for it--Keen! I should say I was!
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 50/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 246–250
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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.”
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.”
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading “They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.”
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading “They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.”
superlative of “darned” — expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.”
chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned
From this reading “They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.”
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading “Of course I'm keen for it--Keen!”
possessive form of “so” — the syllable naming the fifth (dominant) note of any musical scale in solmization
From this reading “I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.”
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.
(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 They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
any thing at all
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you will have it, will you?
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course I'm keen for it--Keen!
superlative of “darned” — expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
apart from; not including
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Of course I'm keen for it--Keen!
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But you will have it, will you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course I'm keen for it--Keen!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But you will have it, will you?
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Of course I'm keen for it--Keen!
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course I'm keen for it--Keen!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
express in words
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should say I was!
possessive form of “so” — the syllable naming the fifth (dominant) note of any musical scale in solmization
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They all said in college that I talked the darnedest hash in the class, anyway.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I should say I was!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading But you will have it, will you?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But you will have it, will you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I haven't got anything to say, so's you'd notice it, except that I'll be blamed if I see how this is true.
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.
