Chapter 1 of The Social Secretary is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Social Secretary is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc. November 29. At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career." Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one. But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
Chapter 1 of The Social Secretary is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."”
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading “DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."”
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading “DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.”
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading “November 29.”
exactly
From this reading “DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.”
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 “Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.”
In this reading “But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.”
In this reading “But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.”
In this reading “Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.”
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 November 29.
later than; following
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading November 29.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
exactly
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At half-past one to-day--half-past one exactly--I began my "career."
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS Author of The Plum Tree The Cost etc. etc.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
at the time that
From this reading But it was ten minutes after when she appeared, away down at the corner of I Street.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mrs. Carteret said she would call for me at five minutes to one.
Chapter 1 of The Social Secretary by David Graham Phillips holds 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 452 sentences of The Social Secretary, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Social Secretary by David Graham Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Social Secretary by David Graham Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1803 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55719 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55719, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 150 minutes of reading across 361 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Social Secretary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of The Social Secretary 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 Social Secretary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
