Chapter 1 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC. PREFACE. _Initial_, adj. [_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.] 1.
Chapter 1 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.”
a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron
From this reading “By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.”
the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
a broad flat muscle on either side of the back
From this reading “[_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.]”
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading “By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “PREFACE.”
on equal terms by payment or requital
From this reading “By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Initial_, adj.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
a radioactive element of the alkali-metal group discovered as a disintegration product of actinium
From this reading [_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.]
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading [_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.]
the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
From this reading _Initial_, adj.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.]
a broad flat muscle on either side of the back
From this reading [_Initial_, Fr.; _initialis_, from _initium_, Lat.]
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading PREFACE.
on equal terms by payment or requital
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By THE BARONESS TAUTPHŒUS AUTHOR OF “QUITS,” “AT ODDS,” ETC.
Chapter 1 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life by Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Initials: A Story of Modern Life by Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Initials: A Story of Modern Life by Jemima Montgomery, Baroness Tautphoeus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8526 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58908 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58908, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1706 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Initials: A Story of Modern Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Initials: A Story of Modern 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 Initials: A Story of Modern Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
