Chapter 1 of A Dead Reckoning is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Dead Reckoning is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?" "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April." "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married. I feel as if I had been married for years." "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
Chapter 1 of A Dead Reckoning is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
an annual publication including weather forecasts and other miscellaneous information arranged according to the calendar of a given year
From this reading “"If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."”
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “"If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."”
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “"If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “"How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!”
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading “"How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!”
joined in matrimony
From this reading “"Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.”
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “"Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “"Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.”
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 “"Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.”
In this reading “I feel as if I had been married for years."”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
in the past
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
an annual publication including weather forecasts and other miscellaneous information arranged according to the calendar of a given year
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I feel as if I had been married for years."
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I feel as if I had been married for years."
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
dearly loved
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I feel as if I had been married for years."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I feel as if I had been married for years."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I feel as if I had been married for years."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
joined in matrimony
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
with speed
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "If the almanac may be believed, it is the 24th of April."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "How dreadful to feel that you are growing old so quickly!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Six months ago to-day, Gerald and I were married.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
a late time of life
From this reading I feel as if I had been married for years."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Aunty, dear, do you know what day this is?"
Chapter 1 of A Dead Reckoning by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 171 sentences of A Dead Reckoning, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Dead Reckoning by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Dead Reckoning by T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson) Speight on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2724 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57737 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57737, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 227 minutes of reading across 545 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Dead Reckoning section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Dead Reckoning 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 Dead Reckoning, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
