Chapter 1 of The Lights and Shadows of Real Life is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Lights and Shadows of Real Life is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE. BY T. S. ARTHUR. PREFACE. To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow." Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
Chapter 1 of The Lights and Shadows of Real Life is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading “BY T. S. ARTHUR.”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading “Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.”
get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force
From this reading “Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “PREFACE.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading BY T. S. ARTHUR.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY T. S. ARTHUR.
put or send forth
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
go across or through
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading PREFACE.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading BY T. S. ARTHUR.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading BY T. S. ARTHUR.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF REAL LIFE.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though the sun may be in the heavens, clouds often intervene, and cast deep shadows about our footsteps.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading To all, as they pass through the world, come "light and shadow."
Chapter 1 of The Lights and Shadows of Real Life by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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.
Chapter 1 holds 408 sentences of The Lights and Shadows of Real Life, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Lights and Shadows of Real Life by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Lights and Shadows of Real Life by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4627, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2101 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lights and Shadows of Real Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Lights and Shadows of Real 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 Lights and Shadows of Real Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
