Chapter 1 of An African Millionaire is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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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.
The Commissary shrugged his shoulders. "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused. "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine! No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French. He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
Chapter 1 of An African Millionaire is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 79/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 391–395
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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “"Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.”
take into custody
From this reading “"Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.”
commanding attention
From this reading “No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.”
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
From this reading “The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.”
the fatty flesh of eel; an elongate fish found in fresh water in Europe and America; large eels are usually smoked or pickled
From this reading “He is as slippery as an eel, that man.”
confidently optimistic and cheerful
From this reading “"Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.”
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading “He is as slippery as an eel, that man.”
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 "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!
pleasantly occupied
From this reading "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!
take into custody
From this reading "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.
commanding attention
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
From this reading The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.
the fatty flesh of eel; an elongate fish found in fresh water in Europe and America; large eels are usually smoked or pickled
From this reading He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
at any time
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.
not any; not one
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
confidently optimistic and cheerful
From this reading "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He is as slippery as an eel, that man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Commissary shrugged his shoulders.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Arrest them!" he exclaimed, much amused.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading No officer of justice has ever succeeded in arresting le Colonel Caoutchouc, as we call him in French.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ah, monsieur, but you are sanguine!
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.
