Chapter 1 of A Romance of Wastdale is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Romance of Wastdale is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe]. "Mrs. Jackson!" Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house. But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
Chapter 1 of A Romance of Wastdale is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a beckoning gesture
From this reading “Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.”
a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another
From this reading “The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].”
plural of “duck” — small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs
From this reading “Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.”
the act of consuming food
From this reading “Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.”
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading “"Mrs. Jackson!"”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.”
represented accurately or precisely
From this reading “The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].”
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 “But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.”
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 2.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
a beckoning gesture
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another
From this reading The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
plural of “duck” — small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
the act of consuming food
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading "Mrs. Jackson!"
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Mrs. Jackson!"
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
and nothing more
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
represented accurately or precisely
From this reading The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Jackson was feeding her ducks at the beck behind the house.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But the kitchen door stood open, and she not only heard her name, but recognised the voice which shouted it.
Chapter 1 of A Romance of Wastdale by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 138 sentences of A Romance of Wastdale, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Romance of Wastdale by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Romance of Wastdale by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1870 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38719 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38719, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 155 minutes of reading across 374 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Romance of Wastdale section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Romance of Wastdale 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 Romance of Wastdale, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
