Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
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Cover of Life's Handicap
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

Life's Handicap

Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 1283 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Life's Handicap: Being Stories of Mine Own People by Rudyard Kipling. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #5777.

16 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Academic course · 16 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

Life's Handicap

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 1276 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #5777, divided into 16 chapters and 1283 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 Life's Handicap in full?

The complete text of Life's Handicap is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #5777 and divided into 1283 sections.

This page carries the whole of Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #5777, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 6414 sentences across 16 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 Life's Handicap divided for reading?

Life's Handicap is presented in 16 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting Life's Handicap as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1283 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 16 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 Life's Handicap read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Life's Handicap can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of Life's Handicap 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 Life's Handicap

Common questions about reading Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Life's Handicap?

Yes. All 6414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Life's Handicap is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5777, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Life's Handicap take to read?

About 534 minutes of reading across 1283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Life's Handicap section by section

How to work through Life's Handicap section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of Life's Handicap to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Life's Handicap

Words and structures a reader meets early in Life's Handicap, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Northern
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life's Handicap; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
India
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life's Handicap; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stood
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life's Handicap; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Monastery
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Life's Handicap; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.