Chapter 1 of Androcles and the Lion is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Androcles and the Lion is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly. A jungle path. A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle. It is repeated nearer. The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
Chapter 1 of Androcles and the Lion is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)
From this reading “Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.”
plural of “limp” — the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg
From this reading “The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.”
possessive form of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
plural of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading “Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.”
orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio
From this reading “Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.”
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.”
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading “The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.”
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading “The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.”
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 A jungle path.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
front paw; analogous to the human hand
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
the act of retaining something
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is repeated nearer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is repeated nearer.
a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival
From this reading A jungle path.
staying power
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
plural of “limp” — the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
possessive form of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
plural of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading It is repeated nearer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
a course of conduct
From this reading A jungle path.
recurring again and again
From this reading It is repeated nearer.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Overture; forest sounds, roaring of lions, Christian hymn faintly.
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
a state of acute pain
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A lion’s roar, a melancholy suffering roar, comes from the jungle.
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The lion limps from the jungle on three legs, holding up his right forepaw, in which a huge thorn sticks.
Chapter 1 of Androcles and the Lion by Bernard Shaw holds 460 sentences, grouped into 92 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 460 sentences of Androcles and the Lion, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Androcles and the Lion by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 Androcles and the Lion by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1829 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4003 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4003, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 152 minutes of reading across 366 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Androcles and the Lion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Androcles and the Lion 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 Androcles and the Lion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
