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.
"I think not. He never says a word about politics." "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold. "Your majority is melting away. You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
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 19/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 91–95
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.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “"The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.”
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “"The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “"The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.”
courtesy towards women
From this reading “You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.”
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading “"Your majority is melting away.”
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading “"Your majority is melting away.”
social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power
From this reading “He never says a word about politics."”
be standing; be upright
From this reading “You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.”
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 never says a word about politics."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He never says a word about politics."
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Your majority is melting away.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
courtesy towards women
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He never says a word about politics."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think not.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your majority is melting away.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading "Your majority is melting away.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading "Your majority is melting away.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never says a word about politics."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I think not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power
From this reading He never says a word about politics."
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading He never says a word about politics."
be standing; be upright
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The little Bill hasn't a chance," cried Arnold.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think not.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading He never says a word about politics."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You, of course, will stand by the old man, but that is chivalry, not politics.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your majority is melting away.
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.
