Chapter 1 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected. —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=. VOL. I. AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.
Chapter 1 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading “—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.”
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.”
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading “—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.”
a person authorized to act for another
From this reading “AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.”
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading “—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.”
past form of “render” — cause to become
From this reading “—Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.”
the words of something written
From this reading “—Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.
fearless and daring
From this reading —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I.
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.
the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
a person authorized to act for another
From this reading AUTHOR OF ‘BY PROXY’ ETC.
something that makes repeated and regular interruptions or divisions
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
past form of “render” — cause to become
From this reading —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.
the words of something written
From this reading —Bold text has been rendered as =bold text=.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VOL.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading —Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
Chapter 1 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) by James Payn holds 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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 61 sentences of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) by James Payn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) by James Payn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2136 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47964 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47964, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 178 minutes of reading across 428 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2) 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 Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
