Chapter 1 of The optimist is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The optimist is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Set up and electrotyped. Published October, 1922. Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN. VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf. Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
Chapter 1 of The optimist is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.”
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading “Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.”
one who writes novels
From this reading “Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “Published October, 1922.”
Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)
From this reading “VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Published October, 1922.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.”
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading “VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.”
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.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
In this reading “Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.”
In this reading “VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.”
In this reading “Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.”
set up or found
In this reading “Set up and electrotyped.”
In this reading “Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.”
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 Published October, 1922.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
immediately past
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
one who writes novels
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading Published October, 1922.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
and nothing more
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Published October, 1922.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
transport commercially
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Set up and electrotyped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading VALERIA AND OWEN QUENTILLIAN The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf.
which person or people
From this reading Several people on board then said, “Well, we’re off at last!” to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Dedicated TO C. A. DAWSON-SCOTT IN AFFECTIONATE ADMIRATION OF THE NOVELIST AND THE WOMAN.
Chapter 1 of The optimist by E. M. Delafield holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The optimist, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The optimist by E. M. Delafield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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.
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How to work through The optimist section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 optimist, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
