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.
"Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice. "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell." An hour later the older man stood over the boy. "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said. "You've got to get well in three weeks.
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 81/113 · 5 reading units · Lines 401–405
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.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “"Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.”
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading “"Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “"Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.”
“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 “"Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “An hour later the older man stood over the boy.”
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading “"Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “"Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “"You've got to get well in three weeks.”
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 "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
a youthful male person
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
“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 "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
above and across; more than
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading An hour later the older man stood over the boy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Don't want any more things shut up for a spell."
wanting in physical strength
From this reading "Chase him out," came from the bed in a weak, cheerful voice.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've got to get well in three weeks.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you know your next job, Johnny?" he said.
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.
