Chapter 1 of A Woman Perfected is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Woman Perfected is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
2. The dipthong oe is represented by [oe]. "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3. It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental. He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
Chapter 1 of A Woman Perfected is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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 sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
From this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
possessive form of “earth” — the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
superlative of “noble” — impressive in appearance
From this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
in accord with physical laws
From this reading “He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.”
past form of “surmise” — infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading “It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.”
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
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 surmised that the immediate cause was mental.”
In this reading “"Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.”
In this reading “He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
from appearances alone
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The dipthong oe is represented by [oe].
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dipthong oe is represented by [oe].
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
possessive form of “earth” — the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
of the present time and place
From this reading It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dipthong oe is represented by [oe].
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.
superlative of “noble” — impressive in appearance
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dipthong oe is represented by [oe].
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
(of plans, ideas, etc.) perfectly formed
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
in accord with physical laws
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
represented accurately or precisely
From this reading The dipthong oe is represented by [oe].
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
past form of “surmise” — infer from incomplete evidence
From this reading It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was surmised that the immediate cause was mental.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dipthong oe is represented by [oe].
a special situation
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He arrived home apparently physically well, but in a state of what, for him, was a state of unusual agitation.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected" Donald Lindsay was prostrated by a stroke of apoplexy on Thursday, April 3.
Chapter 1 of A Woman Perfected by Richard Marsh holds 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 184 sentences of A Woman Perfected, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Woman Perfected by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #38181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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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 Woman Perfected, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
