Chapter 1 of A Modern Idyll is here in full — 647 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Modern Idyll is here in full — 647 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me. Won’t you be seated?” “Thank you. It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.” “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
Chapter 1 of A Modern Idyll is here in full — 647 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/129 · 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.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading ““I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.””
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.””
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading ““I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “Won’t you be seated?””
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading ““Thank you.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.””
the act of creating written works
From this reading “It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Won’t you be seated?”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
and nothing more
From this reading “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Won’t you be seated?”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Thank you.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
precisely as stated
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Won’t you be seated?”
the act of creating written works
From this reading It’s very warm to-day; and as I didn’t feel like reading or writing, I thought I’d come round.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I call it real good of you, Mr. Letgood, to come and see me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re just too kind for anythin’!
Chapter 1 of A Modern Idyll by Frank Harris holds 647 sentences, grouped into 130 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 647 sentences of A Modern Idyll, unabridged, divided into 130 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Modern Idyll by Frank Harris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 647 sentences, grouped into 130 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 130 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 130 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 Modern Idyll by Frank Harris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 647 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23009 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23009, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 53 minutes of reading across 130 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Idyll section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of A Modern Idyll 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 Modern Idyll, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
