Chapter 1 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC. THE QUALITY OF MERCY. PART FIRST. Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter. The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
Chapter 1 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
cut or trimmed by clipping
From this reading “The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.”
someone who cuts or carves stone
From this reading “Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.”
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
From this reading “The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.”
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
requiring attention or action
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “THE QUALITY OF MERCY.”
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “THE QUALITY OF MERCY.”
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 “AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.”
In this reading “The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.”
In this reading “Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.”
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 AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
later than; following
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
cut or trimmed by clipping
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
someone who cuts or carves stone
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading PART FIRST.
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
requiring attention or action
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading THE QUALITY OF MERCY.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "AN IMPERATIVE DUTY" "ANNIE KILBURN" "A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES" ETC.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading PART FIRST.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading THE QUALITY OF MERCY.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE QUALITY OF MERCY.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
create by training and teaching
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The train was a little late, and Elbridge was a little early; after a few moments of formal waiting, he began to walk the clipped horses up and down the street.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Northwick's man met him at the station with the cutter.
Chapter 1 of The Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells holds 420 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 420 sentences of The Quality of Mercy, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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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Yes. All 6684 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30108 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30108, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1337 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Quality of Mercy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Quality of Mercy 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 Quality of Mercy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
