Chapter 1 of The Personal History of David Copperfield is here in full — 684 sentences across 137 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Personal History of David Copperfield is here in full — 684 sentences across 137 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right. THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD. CHARLES DICKENS. With Illustrations by H. K. Browne. London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
Chapter 1 of The Personal History of David Copperfield is here in full — 684 sentences across 137 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/136 · 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.
United States writer of science fiction (born 1920)
From this reading “London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.”
English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)
From this reading “With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.”
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading “CHARLES DICKENS.”
United States anatomist who identified four pituitary hormones and discovered vitamin E (1882-1971)
From this reading “London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.”
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.”
third-person singular of “represent” — take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading “See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.”
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 “THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.”
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 London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
United States writer of science fiction (born 1920)
From this reading London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)
From this reading With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading CHARLES DICKENS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading CHARLES DICKENS.
United States anatomist who identified four pituitary hormones and discovered vitamin E (1882-1971)
From this reading London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.
the basic unit of thermodynamic temperature adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
third-person singular of “represent” — take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See https:// --> represents a hand pointing right.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Illustrations by H. K. Browne.
Chapter 1 of The Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens holds 684 sentences, grouped into 137 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 684 sentences of The Personal History of David Copperfield, unabridged, divided into 137 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 684 sentences, grouped into 137 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 137 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 137 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 Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 18363 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43111 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43111, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3673 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Personal History of David Copperfield section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Personal History of David Copperfield 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 Personal History of David Copperfield, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
