Chapter 1 of The Crown of Life is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Crown of Life is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dante?" "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else. It has been so for two or three years. Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming. I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
Chapter 1 of The Crown of Life is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 10/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 46–50
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.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading “Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.”
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading “Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.”
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading “Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.”
an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
From this reading “"Dante?"”
plural of “edition” — the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."”
produce a literary work
From this reading “I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
any thing at all
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
From this reading "Dante?"
plural of “edition” — the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
the act of departing
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
only a very short time before
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
on one occasion
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Editions of Dante and books about Dante crowd his room--they are constantly coming.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
produce a literary work
From this reading I asked him once if he was going to write on the subject, but he shook his head."
a late time of life
From this reading It has been so for two or three years.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, Dante; he seems to care for hardly anything else.
Chapter 1 of The Crown of Life by George Gissing holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of The Crown of Life, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Crown of Life by George Gissing exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Crown of Life by George Gissing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7937 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4541 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4541, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1588 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crown of Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Crown of Life 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 Crown of Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
