Chapter 1 of The Natural History of the Gent is here in full — 25 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Natural History of the Gent is here in full — 25 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GENT. BY ALBERT SMITH. DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET. MDCCCXLVII. PETERBOROUGH COURT, FLEET STREET.
Chapter 1 of The Natural History of the Gent is here in full — 25 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
From this reading “BY ALBERT SMITH.”
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “PETERBOROUGH COURT, FLEET STREET.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.”
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading “DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.”
informal abbreviation of “gentleman”
From this reading “THE GENT.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “BY ALBERT SMITH.”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.”
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 DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
From this reading BY ALBERT SMITH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY ALBERT SMITH.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading PETERBOROUGH COURT, FLEET STREET.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.
informal abbreviation of “gentleman”
From this reading THE GENT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MDCCCXLVII.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PETERBOROUGH COURT, FLEET STREET.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading BY ALBERT SMITH.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GENT.
Chapter 1 of The Natural History of the Gent by Albert Smith holds 25 sentences, grouped into 5 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 25 sentences of The Natural History of the Gent, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Natural History of the Gent by Albert Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 25 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Natural History of the Gent by Albert Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 435 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 36 minutes of reading across 87 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Natural History of the Gent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Natural History of the Gent 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 Natural History of the Gent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
