Chapter 1 of Those Extraordinary Twins is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Those Extraordinary Twins is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FINAL REMARKS. A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel. I know this from experience. He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story. He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
Chapter 1 of Those Extraordinary Twins is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading “A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.”
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading “FINAL REMARKS.”
a single distinct event
From this reading “He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.”
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “FINAL REMARKS.”
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.”
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading “A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.”
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 A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
in addition
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
brought into existence
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
rid of obstructions
From this reading He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading I know this from experience.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading FINAL REMARKS.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I know this from experience.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I know this from experience.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
a single distinct event
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know this from experience.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
and nothing more
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
not any; not one
From this reading He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading FINAL REMARKS.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
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 He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I know this from experience.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality.
at the time that
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
which person or people
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel.
Chapter 1 of Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain holds 45 sentences, grouped into 9 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 45 sentences of Those Extraordinary Twins, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 45 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1195 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3185 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3185, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 99 minutes of reading across 239 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Those Extraordinary Twins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Those Extraordinary Twins 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 Those Extraordinary Twins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
