Chapter 1 of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep. Extremely sultry weather. In the evening go to work again. _Nov._ 5. Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
Chapter 1 of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 74/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 366–370
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.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.”
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading “Extremely sultry weather.”
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading “Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.”
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.”
the month following October and preceding December
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading “Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.”
sexually exciting or gratifying
From this reading “Extremely sultry weather.”
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading “Extremely sultry weather.”
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 _Nov._ 5.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
anew
From this reading In the evening go to work again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading In the evening go to work again.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading Extremely sultry weather.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading In the evening go to work again.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the evening go to work again.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading _Nov._ 5.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
sexually exciting or gratifying
From this reading Extremely sultry weather.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the evening go to work again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Extremely sultry weather.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Went out with my gun and dog, shot a wild cat with a soft skin, but her flesh was good for nothing.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading In the evening go to work again.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading From twelve to two I would lie down to sleep.
Chapter 1 of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures by Daniel Defoe holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures by Daniel Defoe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Life and Most Surprising Adventures by Daniel Defoe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2877 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11866 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11866, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 576 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Life and Most Surprising Adventures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Life and Most Surprising Adventures 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 Life and Most Surprising Adventures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
