Chapter 1 of A Duel in the Dark is here in full — 490 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Duel in the Dark is here in full — 490 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DUEL IN THE DARK. IN ONE ACT. "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c. &c. &c._ LONDON.
Chapter 1 of A Duel in the Dark is here in full — 490 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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 “account” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “"_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.”
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “IN ONE ACT.”
a salesman who travels to call on customers
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading “A DUEL IN THE DARK.”
activity involved in maintaining something in good working order
act as a barrier between; stand between
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading “"_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.”
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “"_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.”
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 “A DUEL IN THE DARK.”
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 DUEL IN THE DARK.
plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading IN ONE ACT.
a salesman who travels to call on customers
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A DUEL IN THE DARK.
a female human offspring
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading A DUEL IN THE DARK.
at any time
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A DUEL IN THE DARK.
a working woman who takes in washing
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading &c._ LONDON.
activity involved in maintaining something in good working order
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading IN ONE ACT.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DUEL IN THE DARK.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "_My Wife's Daughter_," "_Binks the Bagman_," "_Separate Maintenance_," "_How to settle Accounts with your Laundress_," "_Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell_," _&c.
Chapter 1 of A Duel in the Dark by J. Stirling (Joseph Stirling) Coyne holds 490 sentences, grouped into 98 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 490 sentences of A Duel in the Dark, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Duel in the Dark by J. Stirling (Joseph Stirling) Coyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 490 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 Duel in the Dark by J. Stirling (Joseph Stirling) Coyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 977 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50012 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50012, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 196 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Duel in the Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Duel in the Dark 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 Duel in the Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
