Chapter 1 of A Dominie in Doubt is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Dominie in Doubt is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A. S. NEILL, M.A. To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education. I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages. I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories. A. S. N.
Chapter 1 of A Dominie in Doubt is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
relating to the process of education
From this reading “I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.”
add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing
From this reading “I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.”
act or move at high speed
From this reading “I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.”
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading “To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.”
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading “To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.”
worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable
From this reading “I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.”
plural of “theory” — a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.”
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A. S. NEILL, M.A.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
relating to the process of education
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
act or move at high speed
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
a narrow way or road
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
deliver a lecture or talk
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading A. S. NEILL, M.A.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading A. S. N.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A. S. NEILL, M.A.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading A. S. NEILL, M.A.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
plural of “theory” — a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
plural of “view” — a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading I owe much to him, but I hasten to warn educationists that they must not hold him responsible for the views given in these pages.
belonging to which person
From this reading To Homer Lane, whose first lecture convinced me that I knew nothing about education.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading I never understood him fully enough to expound his wonderful educational theories.
Chapter 1 of A Dominie in Doubt by Alexander Sutherland Neill holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of A Dominie in Doubt, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Dominie in Doubt by Alexander Sutherland Neill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Dominie in Doubt by Alexander Sutherland Neill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4052 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25306 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25306, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 337 minutes of reading across 811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Dominie in Doubt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Dominie in Doubt 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 Dominie in Doubt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
