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 didn't understand him then, but I think I do now. You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?" "Yes, I know. And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand." "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
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 32/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 156–160
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.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"”
a person who is older than you are
From this reading “You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"”
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading “You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"”
plural of “profession” — the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading “"Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.”
a person who is being chased
From this reading “"Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.”
plural of “result” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “"Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “"Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"”
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 You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
the two together, not just one
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
plural of “profession” — the body of people in a learned occupation
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
a person who is being chased
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
plural of “result” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
filled with satisfaction
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
express a supposition
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I didn't understand him then, but I think I do now.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
(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 "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Both went in for professions," Otway pursued, "and I suppose he wasn't very well satisfied with the results.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I know.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know"--he added in a lower tone--"that I have two elder brothers?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And a word that fell from your father at Northallerton the other day--I think I understand."
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.
