Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window. “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire. It's directly under. You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath. My sister's the telegraphist there.
Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 14/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70
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.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading ““Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.”
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.”
a trodden path
From this reading “You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.”
of a pale purple color
From this reading “He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.”
plural of “pardon” — the act of excusing a mistake or offense
From this reading ““Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.”
possessive form of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “My sister's the telegraphist there.”
a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
From this reading ““Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.”
an upright that is a member in a door or window frame
From this reading ““Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.”
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 “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
a female human offspring
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
without deviation
From this reading It's directly under.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
a trodden path
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's directly under.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
of a pale purple color
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My sister's the telegraphist there.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
plural of “pardon” — the act of excusing a mistake or offense
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
possessive form of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading My sister's the telegraphist there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
an upright that is a member in a door or window frame
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
someone who transmits messages by telegraph
From this reading My sister's the telegraphist there.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
in or at that place or location
From this reading My sister's the telegraphist there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Go to the stile a-top o' the Barn field,” said Mary, “and look across Pardons to the next spire.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It's directly under.
during the time that
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He asked the Clokes' daughter, laying breakfast, while Sophie plunged her face in the lavender bush outside the low window.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You can't miss it--not if you keep to the footpath.
Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of Actions and reactions, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4931 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2381 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2381, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 410 minutes of reading across 987 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Actions and reactions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Actions and reactions 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 Actions and reactions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
