Chapter 1 of The Youth of Jefferson is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Youth of Jefferson is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Illustrations. TO THE READER. This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil. If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified. THE YOUTH OF JEFFERSON.
Chapter 1 of The Youth of Jefferson is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
influence by slyness
From this reading “If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.”
having a debilitating effect
From this reading “This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.”
distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous
From this reading “If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “Illustrations.”
3rd President of the United States; chief drafter of the Declaration of Independence; made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and sent out the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore it (1743-1826)
From this reading “THE YOUTH OF JEFFERSON.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.”
(physiology) the gradual lengthening of inactive muscle or muscle fibers
From this reading “This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.”
possessive form of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.”
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 This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
later than; following
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
a cherished desire
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
influence by slyness
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
having a debilitating effect
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
having received what was desired
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading Illustrations.
plural of “incident” — a single distinct event
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
3rd President of the United States; chief drafter of the Declaration of Independence; made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and sent out the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore it (1743-1826)
From this reading THE YOUTH OF JEFFERSON.
the sound of laughing
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
absolutely essential
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE YOUTH OF JEFFERSON.
and nothing more
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
in other respects or ways
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
a person who enjoys reading
From this reading TO THE READER.
(physiology) the gradual lengthening of inactive muscle or muscle fibers
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
express in words
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
only a very short time before
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO THE READER.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO THE READER.
work hard
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
in the company of; together with
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
possessive form of “writer” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading If its grotesque incidents beguile an otherwise weary hour with innocent laughter, the writer's ambition will have been fully gratified.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading This little tale is scarcely worth a preface, and it is only necessary to say, that it was written as a relaxation after exhausting toil.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading THE YOUTH OF JEFFERSON.
Chapter 1 of The Youth of Jefferson by John Esten Cooke holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 143 sentences of The Youth of Jefferson, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Youth of Jefferson by John Esten Cooke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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.
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Yes. All 3717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 744 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Youth of Jefferson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Youth of Jefferson 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 Youth of Jefferson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
