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An Unpardonable Liar
An Unpardonable Liar

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of An Unpardonable Liar is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for An Unpardonable Liar
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN ECHO.
"O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!
It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."
With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.
The group were applauding heartily.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

An Unpardonable Liar

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of An Unpardonable Liar is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN ECHO.
/æn ˈekoʊ/
Line 2
"O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!
Line 3
It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."
Line 4
With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.
Line 5
The group were applauding heartily.
/ðə ɡruːp wɜːr əˈplɔːdɪŋ ˈhɑːrtəli/

Learner Dictionary

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.

admirers noun US /ədˈmaɪrərz/

plural of “admirer” — a person who backs a politician or a team etc.

From this reading “With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.”

applauding verb US /əˈplɔːdɪŋ/

-ing form of “applaud” — clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval

From this reading “The group were applauding heartily.”

banjo noun US /ˈbændʒoʊ/

a stringed instrument of the guitar family that has long neck and circular body

From this reading “With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.”

plaintive adjective US /ˈpleɪntɪv/

expressing sorrow

From this reading “With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.”

quirk noun US /kwɜːrk/

a strange attitude or habit

From this reading “With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.”

singer noun US /ˈsɪŋər/

a person who sings

From this reading “With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.”

sinners noun US /ˈsɪnərz/

plural of “sinner” — a person who sins (without repenting)

From this reading “It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."”

vibration noun US /vaɪˈbreɪʃən/

the act of vibrating

From this reading “With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

admirersnounUS /ədˈmaɪrərz/

plural of “admirer” — a person who backs a politician or a team etc.

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

aint

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN ECHO.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

applaudingverbUS /əˈplɔːdɪŋ/

-ing form of “applaud” — clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval

From this reading The group were applauding heartily.

banjonounUS /ˈbændʒoʊ/

a stringed instrument of the guitar family that has long neck and circular body

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

chillun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

comesnounUS /kʌmz/

plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

ECHOverbUS /ˈekoʊ/

to say again or imitate

From this reading AN ECHO.

flatadjectiveUS /flæt/

having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

flicked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

gaylyadverb

in a joyous manner

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

groupnounUS /ɡruːp/

any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

From this reading The group were applauding heartily.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

heartilyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrtəli/

with gusto and without reservation

From this reading The group were applauding heartily.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

It's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

kinnounUS /kɪn/

a person having kinship with another or others

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

mightyadjectiveUS /ˈmaɪti/

having or showing great strength or force or intensity

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

mornin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

mountainnounUS /ˈmaʊntən/

a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

pausedverbUS /pɔːzd/

past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

plaintiveadjectiveUS /ˈpleɪntɪv/

expressing sorrow

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

quirknounUS /kwɜːrk/

a strange attitude or habit

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

roun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

singernounUS /ˈsɪŋər/

a person who sings

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

sinnersnounUS /ˈsɪnərz/

plural of “sinner” — a person who sins (without repenting)

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

stopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

stringsnounUS /strɪŋz/

the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

vibrationnounUS /vaɪˈbreɪʃən/

the act of vibrating

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The group were applauding heartily.

whar

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It's a mighty long way up de mountain side, An day aint no place whar de sinners kin hide, When de Lord comes in de mornin."

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With a plaintive quirk of the voice the singer paused, gayly flicked the strings of the banjo, then put her hand flat upon them to stop the vibration and smiled round on her admirers.

worl

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "O de worl am roun an de worl am wide-- O Lord, remember your chillun in de mornin!

Chapter 1 of An Unpardonable Liar by Gilbert Parker holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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.

What does chapter 1 of An Unpardonable Liar contain?

Chapter 1 holds 423 sentences of An Unpardonable Liar, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of An Unpardonable Liar by Gilbert Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of An Unpardonable Liar?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading An Unpardonable Liar

Common questions about reading An Unpardonable Liar by Gilbert Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of An Unpardonable Liar?

Yes. All 1617 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15793 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of An Unpardonable Liar is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #15793, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does An Unpardonable Liar take to read?

About 134 minutes of reading across 324 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read An Unpardonable Liar section by section

How to work through An Unpardonable Liar section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of An Unpardonable Liar to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in An Unpardonable Liar

Words and structures a reader meets early in An Unpardonable Liar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Wide--
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Unpardonable Liar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Remember
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Unpardonable Liar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chillun
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Unpardonable Liar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mornin
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Unpardonable Liar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.