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The Grain of Dust: A Novel

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By David Graham Phillips • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Grain of Dust: A Novel

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

"'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

"'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

"'It has killed me,' he groaned."

"She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

"'Father .

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/44

The Grain of Dust: A Novel

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

"'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

Line 2

"'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

Line 3

"'It has killed me,' he groaned."

Line 4

"She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

Line 5

"'Father .

All words in this reading · 46

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.

an

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

are

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

at

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

but

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

complacently

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

cried

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

down

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

Father

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Father .

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

glanced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

glistening

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

groaned

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'It has killed me,' he groaned."

has

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'It has killed me,' he groaned."

have

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

he

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

her

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

idiot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

It

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'It has killed me,' he groaned."

killed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'It has killed me,' he groaned."

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

love

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

make

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

marrying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

me

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'It has killed me,' he groaned."

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

or

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

other

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

out-and-out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

reason

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

She

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

shoulders

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

softly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "She glanced complacently down at her softly glistening shoulders."

teach

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

think

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

Ursula

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

what

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

whatever

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

will

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

won't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

Would

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'Would you like to think I was marrying you for what you have?--or for any other reason whatever but for what you are?'"

you

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

yourself

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'I will teach you to love he,' he cried" "'You won't make an out-and-out idiot of yourself, will you Ursula?'"

Chapter 1 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel by David Graham Phillips holds 224 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel contain?

Chapter 1 holds 224 sentences of The Grain of Dust: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel by David Graham Phillips exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Grain of Dust: A Novel?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Grain of Dust: A Novel

Common questions about reading The Grain of Dust: A Novel by David Graham Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Grain of Dust: A Novel?

Yes. All 7553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #430 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Grain of Dust: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #430, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Grain of Dust: A Novel take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Grain of Dust: A Novel section by section

How to work through The Grain of Dust: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Grain of Dust: A Novel to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Grain of Dust: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Grain of Dust: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Teach: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cried: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Won't: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Out-and-out: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grain of Dust: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.