Chapter 1 of Unfinished Portraits is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Unfinished Portraits is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The man looked down at him once more and halted. "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently. He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe. With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him. The man nodded good-naturedly.
Chapter 1 of Unfinished Portraits is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading “He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “"Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.”
in a good-natured manner
From this reading “The man nodded good-naturedly.”
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading “The man looked down at him once more and halted.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “The man nodded good-naturedly.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.”
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading “He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.”
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.
anew
In this reading “The man looked down at him once more and halted.”
In this reading “He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.”
In this reading “The man looked down at him once more and halted.”
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 He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
next to; at the side of
From this reading With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.
a youthful male person
From this reading With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
in a gradual manner
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
in a good-natured manner
From this reading The man nodded good-naturedly.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The man nodded good-naturedly.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
on one occasion
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man looked down at him once more and halted.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He removed the violin-bag carefully from his back and threw himself on the ground and took from his pocket a great pipe.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Now, but we will rest here," he said gently.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a little sigh the boy sat down beside him.
Chapter 1 of Unfinished Portraits by Jennette Lee holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Unfinished Portraits, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Unfinished Portraits by Jennette Lee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Unfinished Portraits by Jennette Lee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1638 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30562 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30562, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Unfinished Portraits section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Unfinished Portraits 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 Unfinished Portraits, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
