Chapter 1 of An African Millionaire is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of An African Millionaire is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He had not watched him write it. Sir Charles stared at it fixedly. The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression. "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed. Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
Chapter 1 of An African Millionaire is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 40/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 196–200
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.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading “Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.”
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading “Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.”
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading “"Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.”
young sheep
From this reading “Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.”
bring forth or yield
From this reading “The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.”
a person with unusual powers of foresight
From this reading “The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.”
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 Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.
in a fixed manner
From this reading Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
young sheep
From this reading Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Sir Charles, like a lamb, placed it as directed.
bring forth or yield
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
a person with unusual powers of foresight
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Sir Charles stared at it fixedly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Now, put it in that envelope," the Seer exclaimed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Seer was really beginning to produce an impression.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
produce a literary work
From this reading He had not watched him write it.
Chapter 1 of An African Millionaire by Grant Allen holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of An African Millionaire, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of An African Millionaire by Grant Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 An African Millionaire by Grant Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4715, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An African Millionaire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of An African Millionaire 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 An African Millionaire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
