Chapter 1 of Asphodel is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Asphodel is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ETC. MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS. NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT. THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS. “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
Chapter 1 of Asphodel is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
something written by one's own hand
From this reading “THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.”
plural of “bookseller” — the proprietor of a bookstore
From this reading “NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.”
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading “NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.”
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading “NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading ““No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.”
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.”
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.
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 NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
possessive form of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
something written by one's own hand
From this reading THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
plural of “bookseller” — the proprietor of a bookstore
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ETC.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
not any; not one
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading NOW READY AT ALL BOOKSELLERS’ AND BOOKSTALLS, PRICE 2_s._ 6_d._ EACH, CLOTH GILT.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH EDITION OF MISS BRADDON’S NOVELS.
which person or people
From this reading “No one can be dull who has a novel by Miss Braddon in hand.
Chapter 1 of Asphodel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of Asphodel, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Asphodel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Asphodel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9175 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75506 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75506, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Asphodel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Asphodel 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 Asphodel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
