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.
I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender. Does he mean us to go everywhere?” “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out. “We don't count.” They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 27/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 131–135
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.
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading “They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.”
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading ““He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.”
greatly pleased
From this reading “They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.”
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading “I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.”
to or in any or all places
From this reading “Does he mean us to go everywhere?””
past form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading “They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.”
a barrier that surrounds the wheels of a vehicle to block splashing water or mud
From this reading “I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.”
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading “They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.”
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.
any thing at all
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “We don't count.”
greatly pleased
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We don't count.”
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
to or in any or all places
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
past form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
a barrier that surrounds the wheels of a vehicle to block splashing water or mud
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I never dreamed of anything like that steel-cut fender.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “He's catching the dog,” said George, looking out.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They explored the first or ground floor, delighted as children playing burglars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Does he mean us to go everywhere?”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We don't count.”
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.
