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.
"Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?" "No; I manage a few other things. For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian. Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten. I don't think I shall give in."
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 36/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 176–180
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.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.”
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading “Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.”
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading “"Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.”
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “"No; I manage a few other things.”
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading “For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.”
plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “"Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"”
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 "No; I manage a few other things.
in the past
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
(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 "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't think I shall give in."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "No; I manage a few other things.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading I don't think I shall give in."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No; I manage a few other things.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I don't think I shall give in."
an occurrence of something
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading "No; I manage a few other things.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No; I manage a few other things.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "No; I manage a few other things.
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I don't think I shall give in."
plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "No; I manage a few other things.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I don't think I shall give in."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Too much! too much!--All at the Civil Service subjects?"
hard to endure
From this reading For instance, I'm trying to learn Russian.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Father says he made the attempt long ago, but was beaten.
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.
