A Reckless Character, and Other Stories

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

There were eight of us in the room, and we were discussing contemporary matters and persons, "I do not understand these gentlemen!" remarked A.--"They are fellows of a reckless sort....

Really, desperate....

There has never been anything of the kind before."

"Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/88

A Reckless Character, and Other Stories Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

Chapter I

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907. There were eight of us in the room, and we were discussing contemporary matters and persons, "I do not understand these gentlemen!" remarked A.--"They are fellows of a reckless sort.... Really, desperate.... There has never been anything of the kind before." "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

A Reckless Character, and Other Stories

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

Line 2

There were eight of us in the room, and we were discussing contemporary matters and persons, "I do not understand these gentlemen!" remarked A.--"They are fellows of a reckless sort....

Line 3

Really, desperate....

/ˈrɪli ˈdesprɪt/

Line 4

There has never been anything of the kind before."

/ðer hæz ˈnevər bɪn ˈeniθɪŋ ʌv ðə kaɪnd bɪˈfɔːr/

Line 5

"Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

Learner Dictionary

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.

century noun US /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading “"Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.”

contemporary adjective US /kənˈtempəreri/

characteristic of the present

From this reading “There were eight of us in the room, and we were discussing contemporary matters and persons, "I do not understand these gentlemen!" remarked A.--"They are fellows of a reckless sort....”

desperate adjective US /ˈdesprɪt/

arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

From this reading “Really, desperate....”

discussing verb US /dɪˈskʌsɪŋ/

-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

reckless adjective US /ˈrekləs/

marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences

Russian noun US /ˈrʌʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Russia

From this reading “Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.”

Translated verb US /trænzˈleɪtɪd/

past form of “translate” — restate (words) from one language into another language

From this reading “Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.”

twenties noun US /ˈtwentiz/

the time of life between 20 and 30

From this reading “"Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

1907

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading There were eight of us in the room, and we were discussing contemporary matters and persons, "I do not understand these gentlemen!" remarked A.--"They are fellows of a reckless sort....

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading There has never been anything of the kind before."

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There has never been anything of the kind before."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading There has never been anything of the kind before."

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

centurynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

CHARLESnounUS /tʃɑːrlz/

King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

contemporaryadjectiveUS /kənˈtempəreri/

characteristic of the present

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

desperateadjectiveUS /ˈdesprɪt/

arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

From this reading Really, desperate....

discussingverbUS /dɪˈskʌsɪŋ/

-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

eightadjectiveUS /eɪt/

being one more than seven

FnounUS /ef/

a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

fellowsnounUS /ˈfeloʊz/

plural of “fellow” — a boy or man

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

gentlemennounUS /ˈdʒentəlmɪn/

plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

grey-hairedadjective

showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

HAPGOOD

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There has never been anything of the kind before."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

ISABEL

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading There has never been anything of the kind before."

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

mattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading There has never been anything of the kind before."

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

PnounUS /piː/

a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

personsnounUS /ˈpɜːrsənz/

plural of “person” — a human being

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

ReallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Really, desperate....

recklessadjectiveUS /ˈrekləs/

marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences

remarkedverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkt/

past form of “remark” — make mention of

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

RussiannounUS /ˈrʌʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Russia

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

SCRIBNER'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

SONSnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

sortnounUS /sɔːrt/

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

TranslatedverbUS /trænzˈleɪtɪd/

past form of “translate” — restate (words) from one language into another language

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

twentiesnounUS /ˈtwentiz/

the time of life between 20 and 30

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, there has," put in P., a grey-haired old man, who had been born about the twenties of the present century;--"there were reckless men in days gone by also.

YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading Translated from the Russian by ISABEL F. HAPGOOD NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1907.

Chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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.

What does chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 1 holds 444 sentences of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories?

Work through the 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 89 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.

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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 4561 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #15994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 380 minutes of reading across 913 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Translated: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter I · Chapter 1

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