Chapter 1 of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it? It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.” “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins. They lie right across ahead of us.” Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
Chapter 1 of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “They lie right across ahead of us.””
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading ““Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading ““Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.”
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading “Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “They lie right across ahead of us.””
past form of “row” — propel with oars
From this reading “Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading ““Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?”
successive (without a break)
From this reading “It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.””
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
at or in the front
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
not any; not one
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
precisely, exactly
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
past form of “row” — propel with oars
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
successive (without a break)
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Ruthven said no more, and for another hour he and Frank rowed their hardest.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It's as much as Handcock can do to keep her head straight.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They lie right across ahead of us.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” Frank shouted back, “if it were not for the Goodwins.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don't you think, Hargate,” Ruthven shouted in his ear, “we had better run before it?
Chapter 1 of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 205 sentences of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4673 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8576 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8576, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 389 minutes of reading across 935 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War 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 By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
