Chapter 1 of The Diverting History of John Gilpin is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Diverting History of John Gilpin is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
John Gilpin. Illustrated. LONDON: WILLIAM TEGG. JOHN GILPIN. John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
Chapter 1 of The Diverting History of John Gilpin is here in full — 68 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading “John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.”
approval
From this reading “John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “Illustrated.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “John Gilpin.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “LONDON: WILLIAM TEGG.”
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading “John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.”
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.”
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 John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
approval
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Gilpin.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading Illustrated.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Gilpin.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: WILLIAM TEGG.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: WILLIAM TEGG.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke was he Of famous London town.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: WILLIAM TEGG.
Chapter 1 of The Diverting History of John Gilpin by William Cowper holds 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 68 sentences of The Diverting History of John Gilpin, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Diverting History of John Gilpin by William Cowper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 68 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 Diverting History of John Gilpin by William Cowper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 68 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23753 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23753, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 14 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Diverting History of John Gilpin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Diverting History of John Gilpin 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 Diverting History of John Gilpin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
