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.
He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen. Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment. "True; we shall see. You are working steadily?" "About fourteen hours a day."
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 35/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
adjust for
From this reading “He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.”
with awareness
From this reading “He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.”
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading “He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “"About fourteen hours a day."”
a game in which jackstones are thrown and picked up in various groups between bounces of a small rubber ball
From this reading “Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.”
the act of controlling by restraining someone or something
From this reading “He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.”
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading “You are working steadily?"”
in a softened tone
From this reading “He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.”
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 Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "About fourteen hours a day."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are working steadily?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
adjust for
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
with awareness
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "About fourteen hours a day."
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading "About fourteen hours a day."
a deliberate and vigorous gesture or motion
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading "About fourteen hours a day."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
a game in which jackstones are thrown and picked up in various groups between bounces of a small rubber ball
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
a particular point in time
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
the act of controlling by restraining someone or something
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "True; we shall see.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "True; we shall see.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading You are working steadily?"
in a softened tone
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "True; we shall see.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "True; we shall see.
at the time that
From this reading Mr. Jacks watched him very closely, and, when he ceased, reflected for a moment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He seemed to hold himself consciously in restraint, but, as if to compensate for subdued language, he used more gesticulation than is common with Englishmen.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading You are working steadily?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You are working steadily?"
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.
