Chapter 1 of The Gilded Age, Part 5. is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Gilded Age, Part 5. is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That Chairman was nowhere in sight. Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life. She was obliged to make a new plan. She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did. She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
Chapter 1 of The Gilded Age, Part 5. is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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 officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
From this reading “That Chairman was nowhere in sight.”
plural of “disappointment” — a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.”
an event that happens
From this reading “Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.”
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.”
an insignificant place
From this reading “That Chairman was nowhere in sight.”
come to pass
From this reading “Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.”
not often
From this reading “Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:”
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 She was obliged to make a new plan.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
From this reading That Chairman was nowhere in sight.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
plural of “disappointment” — a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
an event that happens
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That Chairman was nowhere in sight.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
engage in
From this reading She was obliged to make a new plan.
a form of address for a man
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading She was obliged to make a new plan.
a brief written record
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
an insignificant place
From this reading That Chairman was nowhere in sight.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading She was obliged to make a new plan.
come to pass
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading She was obliged to make a new plan.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
not often
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was obliged to make a new plan.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading That Chairman was nowhere in sight.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such disappointments seldom occur in novels, but are always happening in real life.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That Chairman was nowhere in sight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was obliged to make a new plan.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That Chairman was nowhere in sight.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She sent him a note, and asked him to call in the evening--which he did.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She received the Hon. Mr. Buckstone with a sunny smile, and said:
Chapter 1 of The Gilded Age, Part 5. by Mark Twain holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 95 sentences of The Gilded Age, Part 5., unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Gilded Age, Part 5. by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Gilded Age, Part 5. by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1486 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5822 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5822, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 123 minutes of reading across 298 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gilded Age, Part 5. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Gilded Age, Part 5. 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 Gilded Age, Part 5., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
