Chapter I of The Postmaster, “I Make Two Bets—and Lose One of ’Em,” is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter I of The Postmaster, “I Make Two Bets—and Lose One of ’Em,” is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike. "You bet!" says I. "Through for good is just _what_ I am." "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says. "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
Chapter I of The Postmaster, “I Make Two Bets—and Lose One of ’Em,” is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “"You bet!" says I.”
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading “"It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.”
possessive form of “firm” — the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “"It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.”
a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
From this reading “"So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.”
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading “"It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.”
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading “"Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.”
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 “"It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.”
In this reading “"It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.”
In this reading “"It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Through for good is just _what_ I am."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading "You bet!" says I.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
possessive form of “firm” — the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments
From this reading "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You bet!" says I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Through for good is just _what_ I am."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
and nothing more
From this reading "Through for good is just _what_ I am."
engage in
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
(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 "Well, I’m sorry, for the firm’s sake," he says.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Through for good is just _what_ I am."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It won’t seem natural for the _Fair Breeze_ to make port without you in command.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So you’re through with the sea for good, are you, Cap’n Zeb," says Mr. Pike.
Chapter 1 of The Postmaster by Joseph Crosby Lincoln holds 287 sentences, grouped into 58 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 287 sentences of The Postmaster, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Postmaster by Joseph Crosby Lincoln exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 287 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Postmaster by Joseph Crosby Lincoln on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5705 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1141 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Postmaster section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Postmaster 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 Postmaster, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
