Better than Play
Better than Play by Mabel Quiller-Couch is available here as the complete text, split into 412 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Better than Play by Mabel Quiller-Couch. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #31836.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Better than Play
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 407 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of Better than Play by Mabel Quiller-Couch carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #31836, divided into 12 chapters and 412 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read Better than Play in full?
The complete text of Better than Play is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #31836 and divided into 412 sections.
This page carries the whole of Better than Play by Mabel Quiller-Couch, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #31836, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 2060 sentences across 12 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is Better than Play divided for reading?
Better than Play is presented in 12 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Better than Play as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 412 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 12 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear Better than Play read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Better than Play can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Better than Play can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading Better than Play
Common questions about reading Better than Play by Mabel Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Better than Play?
Yes. All 2060 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31836 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Better than Play is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #31836, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Better than Play take to read?
About 171 minutes of reading across 412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Better than Play section by section
How to work through Better than Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Better than Play to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Better than Play
Words and structures a reader meets early in Better than Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Illustration
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Better than Play; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Flowers
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Better than Play; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Ma'am
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Better than Play; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Tuppence
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Better than Play; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.