Chapter 1 of A successful venture is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A successful venture is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN. IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows. The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn. It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
Chapter 1 of A successful venture is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination
From this reading “The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.”
a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)
From this reading “WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.”
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading “The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.”
the compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees
From this reading “IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.”
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading “IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.”
wet through and through; thoroughly wet
From this reading “The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.”
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading “WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.”
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 “IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.”
In this reading “IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.”
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 IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
a room used for dining
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)
From this reading WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.
to a considerable degree
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
a field of cultivated and mowed grass
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
the compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
wet through and through; thoroughly wet
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WENTWORTH WARD VISITS GLEN ARDEN.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The few leaves that remained upon the trees were fast dropping, falling in sodden unloveliness upon the drenched lawn.
which person or people
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading IT was raining heavily, and a strong wind from the northeast blew the drops with relentless force against the dining-room windows.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading It was a day for all those who could do so to remain within doors.
Chapter 1 of A successful venture by Ellen Douglas Deland holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 216 sentences of A successful venture, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A successful venture by Ellen Douglas Deland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 successful venture by Ellen Douglas Deland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4178 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68799 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68799, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A successful venture section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of A successful venture 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 successful venture, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
