Chapter 1 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FIVE-CENT EDITION. MUNRO'S PUBLISHING HOUSE. 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887. 5 Cents. OLD CAP.
Chapter 1 of The Spruce Street Tragedy is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading “24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.”
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “OLD CAP.”
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading “5 Cents.”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “FIVE-CENT EDITION.”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.”
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading “MUNRO'S PUBLISHING HOUSE.”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.”
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.
a firm in the publishing business
In this reading “MUNRO'S PUBLISHING HOUSE.”
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 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 5 Cents.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading OLD CAP.
plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries
From this reading 5 Cents.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading FIVE-CENT EDITION.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIVE-CENT EDITION.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading MUNRO'S PUBLISHING HOUSE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MUNRO'S PUBLISHING HOUSE.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD CAP.
the business of issuing printed matter for sale or distribution
From this reading MUNRO'S PUBLISHING HOUSE.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading 24 & 26 VANDEWATER STREET, NEW YORK.--AUGUST 22, 1887.
Chapter 1 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of The Spruce Street Tragedy, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Spruce Street Tragedy by Norman L. [Publisher] Munro on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46523 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46523, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 768 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spruce Street Tragedy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Spruce Street Tragedy 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 Spruce Street Tragedy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
