Chapter 1 of The Crown of Life is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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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.
He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service." John Jacks nodded. "Well, yes, yes. But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago. Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
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 27/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 131–135
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.
expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
From this reading “Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.”
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
From this reading “But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.”
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading “He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."”
a game in which jackstones are thrown and picked up in various groups between bounces of a small rubber ball
From this reading “John Jacks nodded.”
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.”
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading “He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."”
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.
in the past
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
a game in which jackstones are thrown and picked up in various groups between bounces of a small rubber ball
From this reading John Jacks nodded.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Jacks nodded.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
the force of workers available
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
a form of address for a man
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading John Jacks nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading He loves his country, and is using his genius in her service."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Get him on that topic, and he was one of the most eloquent men living.
(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 "Well, yes, yes.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
a late time of life
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
an affirmative
From this reading "Well, yes, yes.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But I wish your father were here, Mr. Otway, to give his estimate of such genius; at all events if he thinks as he did years ago.
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.
