Chapter 1 of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ARCADES AMBO. Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way. He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London. He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham. He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.
Chapter 1 of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
plural of “arcade” — a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
From this reading “ARCADES AMBO.”
the largest city in Alabama; located in northeastern Alabama
From this reading “He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.”
someone (a person or firm) who contracts to build things
From this reading “He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.”
a hilly county in southwestern England
From this reading “He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.”
a city of north central North Carolina; site of Duke University
From this reading “He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.”
possessive form of “nobleman” — a titled peer of the realm
plural of “sewer” — a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
From this reading “He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.”
a county in southern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was captured by Wessex in the 9th century
From this reading “He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a large indefinite number
In this reading “He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.”
a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence the course of events
In this reading “Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.”
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 had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it
From this reading ARCADES AMBO.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
plural of “arcade” — a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
From this reading ARCADES AMBO.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
the largest city in Alabama; located in northeastern Alabama
From this reading He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.
someone (a person or firm) who contracts to build things
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
a hilly county in southwestern England
From this reading He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.
a city of north central North Carolina; site of Duke University
From this reading He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
of great significance or value
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
possessive form of “nobleman” — a titled peer of the realm
From this reading He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
a human being
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading He had a pier in hand down in Cornwall, and a railway in Durham.
on the contrary
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
plural of “sewer” — a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
a county in southern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was captured by Wessex in the 9th century
From this reading He was building a nobleman’s mansion in Sussex, and a large church in Birmingham.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Fred Bingham was now rather an important person in his way.
buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading He had a large number of works in hand; he was contractor for miles of sewers in and around London.
Chapter 1 of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3406 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59529 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59529, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3 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 All But Lost: A Novel. Vol. 3 of 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
