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The unique story book
The unique story book

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The unique story book is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The unique story book
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY.
Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.
Vol. 2.
MAY, 1895.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 unique story book

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The unique story book is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
/tekst enˈkloʊzd baɪ ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz ɪz ɪn aɪˈtælɪks aɪˈtælɪks/
Line 2
MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY.
Line 3
Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.
/ˈentərd æt ðə ˈbɑːstən poʊst ˈɔːfɪs æz ˈsekənd klæs ˈmætər/
Line 4
Vol. 2.
Line 5
MAY, 1895.

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.

Boston noun US /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading “Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.”

class noun US /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading “Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.”

enclosed adjective US /enˈkloʊzd/

closed in or surrounded or included within

From this reading “Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).”

italics noun US /aɪˈtælɪks/

plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading “Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).”

library noun US /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading “MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY.”

Post verb US /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading “Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.”

Text noun US /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading “Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).”

underscores noun US /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

From this reading “Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).”

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.

Post office verb + noun

a local branch where postal services are available

In this reading “Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.”

second class noun + noun

not the highest rank in a classification

In this reading “Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.”

All words in this reading · 24

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.

1895

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

From this reading MAY, 1895.

2

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

From this reading Vol. 2.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

BostonnounUS /ˈbɑːstən/

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

classnounUS /klæs/

a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

enclosedadjectiveUS /enˈkloʊzd/

closed in or surrounded or included within

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

EnteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

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

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

italicsnounUS /aɪˈtælɪks/

plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

LIBRARYnounUS /ˈlaɪbreriː/

a room where books are kept

From this reading MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

MAYmodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading MAY, 1895.

MULTUM

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

From this reading MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

PARVOnoun

any of a group of viruses containing DNA in an icosahedral protein shell and causing disease in dogs and cattle; not known to be associated with any human disease

From this reading MULTUM IN PARVO LIBRARY.

PostverbUS /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

TextnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Entered at the Boston Post office as second class matter.

underscoresnounUS /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

From this reading Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

Vol

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

From this reading Vol. 2.

Chapter 1 of The unique story book by Anonymous holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 unique story book contain?

Chapter 1 holds 140 sentences of The unique story book, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The unique story book by Anonymous exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 unique story book?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 unique story book

Common questions about reading The unique story book by Anonymous on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The unique story book?

Yes. All 140 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The unique story book is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #68867, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The unique story book take to read?

About 11 minutes of reading across 28 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The unique story book section by section

How to work through The unique story book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The unique story book to begin.

  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 unique story book

Words and structures a reader meets early in The unique story book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Enclosed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The unique story book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Underscores
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The unique story book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Italics
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The unique story book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Multum
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The unique story book; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.