The Dead Alive
The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins is available here as the complete text, split into 308 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #7891.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Dead Alive
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 303 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #7891, divided into 12 chapters and 308 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 The Dead Alive in full?
The complete text of The Dead Alive is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #7891 and divided into 308 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #7891, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 1539 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 The Dead Alive divided for reading?
The Dead Alive is presented in 12 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Dead Alive as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 308 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 The Dead Alive read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Dead Alive can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Dead Alive 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 The Dead Alive
Common questions about reading The Dead Alive by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Dead Alive?
Yes. All 1539 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7891 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Dead Alive is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #7891, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Dead Alive take to read?
About 128 minutes of reading across 308 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Dead Alive section by section
How to work through The Dead Alive 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 The Dead Alive 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 The Dead Alive
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Dead Alive, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Heart
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dead Alive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Right
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dead Alive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Doctor
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dead Alive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Lungs
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Dead Alive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.