Chapter 1 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II. THE STAMP ACT III. THE HUTCHINSON MOB IV. THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI. A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.
Chapter 1 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.”
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading “A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.”
American colonist (born in England) who was banished from Boston for her religious views (1591-1643)
From this reading “THE HUTCHINSON MOB IV.”
kill a large number of people indiscriminately
From this reading “THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.”
a disorderly crowd of people
From this reading “THE HUTCHINSON MOB IV.”
plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.”
walk heavily
From this reading “THE STAMP ACT III.”
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading THE STAMP ACT III.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II.
American colonist (born in England) who was banished from Boston for her religious views (1591-1643)
From this reading THE HUTCHINSON MOB IV.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading THE STAMP ACT III.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading THE HUTCHINSON MOB IV.
kill a large number of people indiscriminately
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
a disorderly crowd of people
From this reading THE HUTCHINSON MOB IV.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.
plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.
walk heavily
From this reading THE STAMP ACT III.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STAMP ACT III.
soldiers collectively
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading THE BRITISH TROOPS IN BOSTON V. THE BOSTON MASSACRE VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS VII.
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading I. A NEW YEAR’S DAY II.
Chapter 1 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 22 sentences, grouped into 5 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 22 sentences of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 22 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 Whole History of Grandfather's Chair by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2787 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1926 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1926, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 232 minutes of reading across 558 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
