Chapter 1 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call." --EURIPIDES: _Hel._ I. 1116. Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB. IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
Chapter 1 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading “"Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."”
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.”
turn pale, as if in fear
From this reading “Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.”
a small house with a single story
From this reading “IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.”
a county in southwestern England
From this reading “IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.”
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “"Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."”
young sheep
From this reading “Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.”
plural of “vale” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “"Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."”
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 1116.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
turn pale, as if in fear
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
a small house with a single story
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
a county in southwestern England
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
one of the greatest tragic dramatists of ancient Greece (480-406 BC)
From this reading --EURIPIDES: _Hel._ I.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
(Norse mythology) goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld
From this reading --EURIPIDES: _Hel._ I.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
young sheep
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
eminent beyond or above comparison
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
in the direction of
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
plural of “vale” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading "Thee, hid the bowering vales amidst, I call."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
which person or people
From this reading Who art thou, fair one, who usurp'st the place Of Blanch, the lady of the matchless grace?--LAMB.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading IT was towards the evening of a day in early April that two ladies were seated by the open windows of a cottage in Devonshire.
Chapter 1 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton holds 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 52 sentences of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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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Yes. All 7143 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 595 minutes of reading across 1429 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Choose one of the 40 chapters of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete 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 Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
