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 a paper in his hand, and he held it to her. "What is it, Brant? Something bad?" "Yes," he said, breathing fast. "Awful.
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 63/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 311–315
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.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading “"Awful.”
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Something bad?"”
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading “"What is it, Brant?”
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “"Yes," he said, breathing fast.”
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “"Yes," he said, breathing fast.”
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading “He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “Something bad?"”
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 He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading "Awful.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Something bad?"
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading "What is it, Brant?
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading "Yes," he said, breathing fast.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "Yes," he said, breathing fast.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it, Brant?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," he said, breathing fast.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something bad?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had a paper in his hand, and he held it to her.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it, Brant?
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," he said, breathing fast.
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.
