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.
He had not seen her since that Tap Day. She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods. But he would not go. He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it. No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
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 58/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 286–290
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.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.”
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading “She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.”
cut a female screw thread with a tap
From this reading “He had not seen her since that Tap Day.”
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading “He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.”
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.”
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 She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
later than; following
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he would not go.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
start firing a weapon
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading But he would not go.
destroyed or killed
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
not any; not one
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
in the near future
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
cut a female screw thread with a tap
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had not seen her since that Tap Day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No, he could not have gone to her house party--how could he?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading He sat in the big chair staring at the fire, this small room in the West, and thought about it.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But he would not go.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading She had written him soon after--an invitation for a week-end at her mother's camp in the woods.
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.
