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The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692
The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.
114 Washington Street.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
INTRODUCTION.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Line 2
| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.
Line 3
114 Washington Street.
Line 4
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
Line 5
INTRODUCTION.
/ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Clerk's noun US /klɜːrks/

possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

Congress noun US /ˈkɑːŋɡrəs/

the legislature of the United States government

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

District noun US /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

introduction noun US /ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

the act of beginning something new

From this reading “INTRODUCTION.”

Massachusetts noun US /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

Tale noun US /teɪl/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading “| | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.”

tappan noun US /ˈtæpən/

United States abolitionist (1786-1865)

From this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

Washington noun US /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading “114 Washington Street.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

Act of verb + particle

In this reading “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.”

All words in this reading · 25

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.

114

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 114 Washington Street.

1692

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.

1842

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.

accordingadjectiveUS /əˈkɔːrdɪŋ/

(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

ActverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

Clerk'snounUS /klɜːrks/

possessive form of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

CongressnounUS /ˈkɑːŋɡrəs/

the legislature of the United States government

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

DENNET

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

DistrictnounUS /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

EnteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

INTRODUCTIONnounUS /ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən/

the act of beginning something new

From this reading INTRODUCTION.

MassachusettsnounUS /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.

OfficenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading 114 Washington Street.

TalenounUS /teɪl/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading | | | +-------------------------------------------------+ A Tale of 1692.

TAPPANnounUS /ˈtæpən/

United States abolitionist (1786-1865)

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

WashingtonnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtən/

the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791

From this reading 114 Washington Street.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by TAPPAN & DENNET, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

Chapter 1 of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 by Ebenezer Wheelwright holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 contain?

Chapter 1 holds 399 sentences of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 by Ebenezer Wheelwright exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692

Common questions about reading The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 by Ebenezer Wheelwright on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692?

Yes. All 1594 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63957 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #63957, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 take to read?

About 132 minutes of reading across 319 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 section by section

How to work through The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Washington
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Street
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Entered
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
According
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Salem Belle: A Tale of 1692; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.