Chapter 1 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE. Words enclosed in _'s are indicated as ITALIC TYPE. [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right. [Symbol: Left] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the left. Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
Chapter 1 of Wives and Widows is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
further or added
From this reading “Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.”
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading “Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “[Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.”
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.”
third-person singular of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “[Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.”
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading “Words enclosed in _'s are indicated as ITALIC TYPE.”
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading “[Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.”
the words of something written
From this reading “Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.”
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.
In this reading “Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.”
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 [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
further or added
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
closed in or surrounded or included within
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
set up or found
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
third-person singular of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right
From this reading Words enclosed in _'s are indicated as ITALIC TYPE.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading [Symbol: Left] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the left.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
the words of something written
From this reading Additional notes may be found at the end of the text.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
in the direction of
From this reading [Symbol: Right] indicates a small illustrated hand pointing towards the right.
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Words enclosed in ='s are indicated as BOLD-FACED TYPE.
Chapter 1 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of Wives and Widows, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Wives and Widows by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7751 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36374 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36374, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wives and Widows section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Wives and Widows 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 Wives and Widows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
