Chapter 1 of The old vicarage is here in full — 9 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The old vicarage is here in full — 9 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD VICARAGE. A NOVEL. “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC. ETC. FRANKLIN SQUARE. FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST. STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street. PRINTED BY GROSSMAN AND WILLETT, 82 & 84 Beekman St. THE OLD VICARAGE.
Chapter 1 of The old vicarage is here in full — 9 sentences across 2 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/1 · 9 reading units · Lines 1–9
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.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading ““THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.”
United States historian noted for studies of Black American history (born in 1915)
From this reading “FRANKLIN SQUARE.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “A NOVEL.”
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading “PRINTED BY GROSSMAN AND WILLETT, 82 & 84 Beekman St.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.”
lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality
From this reading “STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.”
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading “FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST.”
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
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 FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NOVEL.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST.
United States historian noted for studies of Black American history (born in 1915)
From this reading FRANKLIN SQUARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PRINTED BY GROSSMAN AND WILLETT, 82 & 84 Beekman St.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading A NOVEL.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD VICARAGE.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading PRINTED BY GROSSMAN AND WILLETT, 82 & 84 Beekman St.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
make square
From this reading FRANKLIN SQUARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST.
lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH, 82 & 84 Beekman Street.
an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector
From this reading OLD VICARAGE.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading FETRIDGE & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST.
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “THE WIFE’S SISTER,” “MAY AND DECEMBER,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PRINTED BY GROSSMAN AND WILLETT, 82 & 84 Beekman St.
Chapter 1 of The old vicarage by Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback holds 9 sentences, grouped into 2 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 9 sentences of The old vicarage, unabridged, divided into 2 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The old vicarage by Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 9 sentences, grouped into 2 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 2 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 2 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 old vicarage by Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5391 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1079 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The old vicarage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The old vicarage 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 old vicarage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
