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.
And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean." He turned his bright face to his father. "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that. You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot. Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!
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 51/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 251–255
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.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “"Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.”
past form of “compare” — examine and note the similarities or differences of
From this reading “"Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.”
superlative of “keen” — having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading “And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."”
plural of “peach” — cultivated in temperate regions
From this reading “You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.”
inflected form of “plug” — fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
From this reading “"Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.”
giving satisfaction
From this reading “And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."”
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading “Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “"Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.”
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 You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
(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 You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading He turned his bright face to his father.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
past form of “compare” — examine and note the similarities or differences of
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He turned his bright face to his father.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading He turned his bright face to his father.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned his bright face to his father.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He turned his bright face to his father.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
superlative of “keen” — having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!
a projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall
From this reading Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!
plural of “peach” — cultivated in temperate regions
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
inflected form of “plug” — fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
giving satisfaction
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
a person who directs and manages an organization
From this reading Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!
carry out
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Me, the superintendent of the Oriel mine!
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading "Any little plugging I've done seems like thirty cents compared to that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned his bright face to his father.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what makes me keenest, I believe, is that I know it's satisfactory to Henry McLean."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You're all peaches to take such an interest, and I thank you a lot.
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.
