Chapter 1 of A Guide to the Best Historical Novels is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Guide to the Best Historical Novels is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Novel." (John Murray, 1894.) Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860. Second series." (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)
Chapter 1 of A Guide to the Best Historical Novels is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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 “chapter” — a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.”
an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)
From this reading “(J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading “Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.”
plural of “essay” — an analytic or interpretive literary composition
From this reading “Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.”
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading “Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.”
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading “(John Murray, 1894.)”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “Novel."”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “Second series."”
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 Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (John Murray, 1894.)
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
plural of “chapter” — a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)
an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)
From this reading (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
plural of “essay” — an analytic or interpretive literary composition
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading (John Murray, 1894.)
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)
British classical scholar (born in Australia) who advocated the League of Nations and the United Nations (1866-1957)
From this reading (John Murray, 1894.)
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading Novel."
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Second series."
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading Second series."
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860.
Chapter 1 of A Guide to the Best Historical Novels by Jonathan Nield holds 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 31 sentences of A Guide to the Best Historical Novels, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Guide to the Best Historical Novels by Jonathan Nield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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.
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Yes. All 51 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1359 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1359, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 11 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Guide to the Best Historical Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Guide to the Best Historical Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
