Chapter 1 of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN FOUR VOLUMES. AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS. I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me. After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with. TWEDDELL.
Chapter 1 of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading “I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.”
plural of “aphorism” — a short pithy instructive saying
From this reading “AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.”
plural of “chief” — a person who is in charge
From this reading “AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.”
plural of “fool” — a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.”
plural of “project” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.”
the dialect of English used in Scotland
From this reading “AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “IN FOUR VOLUMES.”
the capital and largest city of Poland; located in central Poland
From this reading “AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.”
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.
In this reading “IN FOUR VOLUMES.”
In this reading “After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.”
In this reading “After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.”
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 After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
later than; following
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
plural of “aphorism” — a short pithy instructive saying
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
plural of “chief” — a person who is in charge
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
plural of “fool” — a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading IN FOUR VOLUMES.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN FOUR VOLUMES.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
on one occasion
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
the local environment
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
participate in games or sport
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
plural of “project” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
the dialect of English used in Scotland
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
try to get or reach
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TWEDDELL.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading IN FOUR VOLUMES.
the capital and largest city of Poland; located in central Poland
From this reading AUTHOR OF THADDEUS OF WARSAW, SIDNEY'S APHORISMS, AND THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading After having seen the parts which fools play upon the great stage; a few books, and a few friends, are what I shall seek to finish my days with.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading I will confess the ambitious projects which I once had, are dead within me.
Chapter 1 of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) by Jane Porter holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4), unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) by Jane Porter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) by Jane Porter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1789 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46570 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46570, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 149 minutes of reading across 358 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4) 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 Pastor's Fire-Side Vol. 1 (of 4), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
