Chapter 1 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions. Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text. Eg.: GUENDOLEN. Where are you taking me? TRESHAM.
Chapter 1 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon 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
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.
plural of “blank” — a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing
From this reading “Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.”
plural of “bracket” — a category falling within certain defined limits
From this reading “Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.”
the act of closing something
From this reading “Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.”
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading “Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.”
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading “Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.”
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading “Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.”
past form of “reproduce” — make a copy or equivalent of
From this reading “Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.”
the words of something written
From this reading “Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed 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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
plural of “blank” — a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
plural of “bracket” — a category falling within certain defined limits
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
the act of closing something
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eg.: GUENDOLEN.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eg.: GUENDOLEN.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Where are you taking me?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
past form of “reproduce” — make a copy or equivalent of
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Where are you taking me?
the words of something written
From this reading Leading blanks are reproduced from the printed text.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Closing brackets i.e. "]" have been added to some of the stage directions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TRESHAM.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where are you taking me?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Where are you taking me?
Chapter 1 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon by Robert Browning holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 204 sentences of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon by Robert Browning exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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.
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.
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 A Blot in the 'Scutcheon by Robert Browning on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 426 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2880 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2880, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 35 minutes of reading across 86 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Blot in the 'Scutcheon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Blot in the 'Scutcheon 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 A Blot in the 'Scutcheon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
