Chapter 1 of The First Distiller is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The First Distiller is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file. ] A PEASANT. { WIFE. HIS { MOTHER. { GRANDFATHER.
Chapter 1 of The First Distiller is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
the department of local government that is responsible for managing the treatment of convicted offenders
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
in a faithful manner
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
record in a public office or in a court of law
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
on a list
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
a country person
From this reading “] A PEASANT.”
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
bend or turn backward
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
the words of something written
From this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
In this reading “Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.”
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 ] A PEASANT.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
the department of local government that is responsible for managing the treatment of convicted offenders
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
in a faithful manner
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
record in a public office or in a court of law
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading { GRANDFATHER.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HIS { MOTHER.
on a list
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading HIS { MOTHER.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
a country person
From this reading ] A PEASANT.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
bend or turn backward
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
the words of something written
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible; changes (corrections of punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading { WIFE.
Chapter 1 of The First Distiller by Leo, graf Tolstoy holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of The First Distiller, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The First Distiller by Leo, graf Tolstoy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 First Distiller by Leo, graf Tolstoy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26662 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26662, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 71 minutes of reading across 171 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First Distiller section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The First Distiller 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 First Distiller, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
