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Vagabond Life in Mexico
Vagabond Life in Mexico

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Vagabond Life in Mexico is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Gabriel Ferry • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Vagabond Life in Mexico
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MEXICO.
FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.
NEW YORK.
Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.
If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Vagabond Life in Mexico

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Vagabond Life in Mexico is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MEXICO.
/ˈmeksəkoʊ/
Line 2
FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.
/fɔːr ˈsevən jɪrz ˈrezɪdənt ɪn ðæt ˈkʌntri/
Line 3
NEW YORK.
/nuː jɔːrk/
Line 4
Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.
Line 5
If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.
/ɪf juː wɪʃ tuː bɪˈhoʊld ðə mæɡˈnɪfəsənt ənd ˈverid ˌpænərˈæmə wɪtʃ ˈmeksəkoʊ ˈprezənts juː hæv ˈoʊnli tuː maʊnt æt ˈsʌnset wʌn ʌv ðə ˈtaʊərz ʌv ðə kəˈθiːdrəl/

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.

Cathedral noun US /kəˈθiːdrəl/

any large and important church

From this reading “If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mexico noun US /ˈmeksəkoʊ/

a republic in southern North America; became independent from Spain in 1810

From this reading “MEXICO.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
panorama noun US /ˌpænərˈæmə/

the visual percept of a region

From this reading “If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
resident adjective US /ˈrezɪdənt/

living in a particular place

From this reading “FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Spaniards noun US /ˈspænjərdz/

plural of “spaniard” — a native or inhabitant of Spain

From this reading “Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
splendor noun US /ˈsplen.dər/

Magnificent and splendid appearance; grandeur and brilliance.

From this reading “Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.”

Velmora curated lexicon
towers noun US /ˈtaʊərz/

plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building

From this reading “If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
varied adjective US /ˈverid/

characterized by variety

From this reading “If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

SEVEN YEARS noun + noun

In this reading “FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.”

8,738 times in 426,211 chapters
most beautiful adverb + adjective

In this reading “Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.”

12,963 times in 426,211 chapters
at sunset preposition + noun

In this reading “If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.”

3,617 times in 426,211 chapters
New World adjective + noun

the hemisphere that includes North America and South America

In this reading “Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.”

6,465 times in 426,211 chapters
high place adjective + noun

In this reading “Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.”

3,138 times in 426,211 chapters
FOR SEVEN preposition + noun

In this reading “FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.”

3,518 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beholdverbUS /bɪˈhoʊld/

see with attention

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
builtadjectiveUS /bɪlt/

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CathedralnounUS /kəˈθiːdrəl/

any large and important church

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
COUNTRYnounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EuropenounUS /ˈjʊrəp/

the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FORprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
highadjectiveUS /haɪ/

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
magnificencenoun

splendid or imposing in size or appearance

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
magnificentadjectiveUS /mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/

characterized by grandeur

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MEXICOnounUS /ˈmeksəkoʊ/

a republic in southern North America; became independent from Spain in 1810

From this reading MEXICO.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mountverbUS /maʊnt/

attach to a support

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading NEW YORK.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
panoramanounUS /ˌpænərˈæmə/

the visual percept of a region

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
presentsnounUS /ˈprezənts/

plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RESIDENTadjectiveUS /ˈrezɪdənt/

living in a particular place

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SEVENnounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SpaniardsnounUS /ˈspænjərdz/

plural of “spaniard” — a native or inhabitant of Spain

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
splendornounUS /ˈsplen.dər/

Magnificent and splendid appearance; grandeur and brilliance.

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora curated lexicon
sunsetnounUS /ˈsʌnset/

the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THATconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
towersnounUS /ˈtaʊərz/

plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
variedadjectiveUS /ˈverid/

characterized by variety

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WorldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Mexico is the most beautiful city ever built by the Spaniards in the New World; and even in Europe it would take a high place for splendor and magnificence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YEARSnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading FOR SEVEN YEARS RESIDENT IN THAT COUNTRY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading NEW YORK.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading If you wish to behold the magnificent and varied panorama which Mexico presents, you have only to mount at sunset one of the towers of the Cathedral.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of Vagabond Life in Mexico by Gabriel Ferry holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 Vagabond Life in Mexico contain?

Chapter 1 holds 204 sentences of Vagabond Life in Mexico, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Vagabond Life in Mexico by Gabriel Ferry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 Vagabond Life in Mexico?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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 Vagabond Life in Mexico

Common questions about reading Vagabond Life in Mexico by Gabriel Ferry on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Vagabond Life in Mexico?

Yes. All 4776 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50620 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Vagabond Life in Mexico is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #50620, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Vagabond Life in Mexico take to read?

About 398 minutes of reading across 956 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Vagabond Life in Mexico section by section

How to work through Vagabond Life in Mexico section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Vagabond Life in Mexico

Words and structures a reader meets early in Vagabond Life in Mexico, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mexico
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vagabond Life in Mexico; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Seven
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vagabond Life in Mexico; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Years
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vagabond Life in Mexico; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Resident
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vagabond Life in Mexico; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.