Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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 plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock. “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones. Shart and brittle all of 'em. Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.” “Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?”
Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 37/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 181–185
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.
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading “Shart and brittle all of 'em.”
on a floor below
From this reading ““Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?””
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.”
being one more than sixteen
From this reading “Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.””
a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles
From this reading “He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.”
(usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
From this reading ““They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.”
being five more than twenty
From this reading “Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.””
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.”
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 He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
(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 Shart and brittle all of 'em.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Shart and brittle all of 'em.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?”
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading Shart and brittle all of 'em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?”
on a floor below
From this reading “Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
a quad with a square body
From this reading Shart and brittle all of 'em.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
fasten with a lock
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
not any; not one
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
being one more than sixteen
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shart and brittle all of 'em.
a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
(usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?”
being five more than twenty
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “They was no staple--neither the Elphicks nor the Moones.
which person or people
From this reading “Who does all the wool belong to downstairs?”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading He plucked a lock of wool from his blue smock.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Dead they be seventeen year, for I've been here caretakin' twenty-five.”
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.
