Chapter 1 of A Dreadful Temptation is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Dreadful Temptation is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells! What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!" "Hark! there's the wedding-march." "Here they come!" "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
Chapter 1 of A Dreadful Temptation is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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 “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “"Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!”
the dead body of a human being
From this reading “"Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"”
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading “"Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading “What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"”
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading “"Hark! there's the wedding-march."”
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “"Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"”
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading “"Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!”
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading “What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"”
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 “"Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!”
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 What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading "Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Here they come!"
the dead body of a human being
From this reading "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading "Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
listen; used mostly in the imperative
From this reading "Hark! there's the wedding-march."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Here they come!"
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
unhurried and relaxed
From this reading "Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hark! there's the wedding-march."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Here they come!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hear the mellow wedding-bells-- Golden bells!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hark! there's the wedding-march."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
a Caucasian
From this reading "Looks as white as a corpse, doesn't she?"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading What a world of happiness Their melody foretells!"
Chapter 1 of A Dreadful Temptation by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller holds 36 sentences, grouped into 8 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 36 sentences of A Dreadful Temptation, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Dreadful Temptation by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 36 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 Dreadful Temptation by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2453 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43911 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43911, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 204 minutes of reading across 491 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Dreadful Temptation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of A Dreadful Temptation 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 Dreadful Temptation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
