Chapter 1 of The Poetical Works of William Collins is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Poetical Works of William Collins is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS. _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. 1865. Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS. "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
Chapter 1 of The Poetical Works of William Collins is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
a lyric poet
From this reading “"A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."”
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading “_THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.”
a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
From this reading “"A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."”
an account of the author's personal experiences
From this reading “_WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.”
plural of “observation” — the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading “Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.”
plural of “ode” — a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
From this reading “Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.”
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading “Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.”
of or relating to poetry
From this reading “_THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.”
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 Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1865.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
a lyric poet
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading _THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
an account of the author's personal experiences
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
plural of “observation” — the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
plural of “ode” — a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
of or relating to poetry
From this reading _THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Observations on the Oriental Eclogues, by Dr. Langhorne 101 Observations on the Odes, by the same 118 MEMOIR OF COLLINS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.
having come into contact
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
which person or people
From this reading "A Bard, Who touched the tenderest notes of Pity's lyre."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _WITH A MEMOIR._ BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading _THE_ POETICAL WORKS OF WILLIAM COLLINS.
Chapter 1 of The Poetical Works of William Collins by William Collins holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of The Poetical Works of William Collins, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Poetical Works of William Collins by William Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Poetical Works of William Collins by William Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1652 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29879 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29879, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 137 minutes of reading across 331 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poetical Works of William Collins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Poetical Works of William Collins 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 Poetical Works of William Collins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
