Chapter 1 of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure. "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that. I can't keep a pal." "You surprise me," ses Ginger, sarcastic-like. "Don't talk like that, Ginger," ses Bill, 'arf crying.
Chapter 1 of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 25/53 · 5 reading units · Lines 121–125
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 statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.”
demanding attention
From this reading “"Don't talk like that, Ginger," ses Bill, 'arf crying.”
perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems
From this reading “"You surprise me," ses Ginger, sarcastic-like.”
a pair of people who live together
From this reading “"I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.”
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “I can't keep a pal."”
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading “"I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.”
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 Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't talk like that, Ginger," ses Bill, 'arf crying.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't keep a pal."
demanding attention
From this reading "Don't talk like that, Ginger," ses Bill, 'arf crying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't talk like that, Ginger," ses Bill, 'arf crying.
take in liquids
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
a quad with a square body
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems
From this reading "You surprise me," ses Ginger, sarcastic-like.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can't keep a pal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I can't keep a pal."
immediately past
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
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 Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
a pair of people who live together
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading I can't keep a pal."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You surprise me," ses Ginger, sarcastic-like.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading "You surprise me," ses Ginger, sarcastic-like.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Don't talk like that, Ginger," ses Bill, 'arf crying.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I'd 'oped I'd growed out of it, mates," he ses, at last, "but drink always takes me like that.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Bill looked at 'em, and 'is face got as long as a yard measure.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You surprise me," ses Ginger, sarcastic-like.
Chapter 1 of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 266 sentences of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4., unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 266 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12204 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12204, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 22 minutes of reading across 54 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4. 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 Bill's Lapse Odd Craft, Part 4., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
