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.
You know it isn't. It's the principle. How could you respect me? You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others. Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
Chapter 1 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 8/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 36–40
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.
joined in matrimony
From this reading “You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.”
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
From this reading “It's the principle.”
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading “How could you respect me?”
up to a particular time
From this reading “You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.”
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading “Our tradition and upbringing are against it.”
properties acquired during a person's formative years
From this reading “Our tradition and upbringing are against it.”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.”
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could you respect me?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could you respect me?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You know it isn't.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You know it isn't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's the principle.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know it isn't.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
joined in matrimony
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading How could you respect me?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
From this reading It's the principle.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading How could you respect me?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It's the principle.
up to a particular time
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
properties acquired during a person's formative years
From this reading Our tradition and upbringing are against it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading You never did, the first year after we married, till I went to work like the others.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know it isn't.
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.
