Chapter 1 of A Double Knot is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Double Knot is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Prologue--The Germ. A DAUGHTER OF EVE. "Mother!" There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!" The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
Chapter 1 of A Double Knot is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
From this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
able to attract interest or draw favorable attention
From this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
From this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
anything that provides inspiration for later work
From this reading “Prologue--The Germ.”
the immediate descendants of a person
From this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
an introduction to a play
From this reading “Prologue--The Germ.”
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
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.
increase the likelihood of
In this reading “The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.”
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 DAUGHTER OF EVE.
anew
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
react verbally
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
able to attract interest or draw favorable attention
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
a female human offspring
From this reading A DAUGHTER OF EVE.
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading A DAUGHTER OF EVE.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
anything that provides inspiration for later work
From this reading Prologue--The Germ.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Mother!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A DAUGHTER OF EVE.
the immediate descendants of a person
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
on one occasion
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
an introduction to a play
From this reading Prologue--The Germ.
the activity of protecting someone or something
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
Identical; not different.
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
not in physical motion
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Prologue--The Germ.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading There was no reply, and once again rose from the bed in the prettily-furnished room the same word--"Mother!"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The wild, appealing, anguished cry of offspring to parent, seeming to ask for help-- protection--forgiveness--the tenderness of the mother-heart to its young, and still there was no answer.
Chapter 1 of A Double Knot by George Manville Fenn holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of A Double Knot, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Double Knot by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Double Knot by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7835 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34140 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34140, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1567 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Double Knot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Double Knot 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 Double Knot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
