Chapter 1 of The Marrow of Tradition is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Marrow of Tradition is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I like you and your book, ingenious Hone! In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown. --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major. I shall not he needed for an hour yet. Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
Chapter 1 of The Marrow of Tradition is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
large in capacity
From this reading “In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.”
on a floor below
From this reading “Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."”
a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading “--CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.”
sharpen with a hone
From this reading “I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!”
Clever, original, and remarkably inventive in design and execution.
From this reading “I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!”
young sheep
From this reading “--CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.”
the fatty network of connective tissue that fills the cavities of bones
From this reading “In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.”
to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading “Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."”
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 Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
broad in scope or content
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
next to; at the side of
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
large in capacity
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
on a floor below
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
sharpen with a hone
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
Clever, original, and remarkably inventive in design and execution.
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
young sheep
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
the fatty network of connective tissue that fills the cavities of bones
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Meanwhile I'll go downstairs and snatch a bit of sleep, or talk to old Jane."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading --CHARLES LAMB _To the Editor of the Every-Day Book_ "Stay here beside her, major.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
precisely as stated
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
belonging to which person
From this reading In whose capacious all-embracing leaves The very marrow of tradition's shown.
but in spite of that
From this reading I shall not he needed for an hour yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!
Chapter 1 of The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 423 sentences of The Marrow of Tradition, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11228 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11228, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 379 minutes of reading across 910 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Marrow of Tradition section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Marrow of Tradition 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 Marrow of Tradition, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
