Chapter 1 of Caleb Williams is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Caleb Williams is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity. I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape. My fairest prospects have been blasted. My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution. My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
Chapter 1 of Caleb Williams is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “My fairest prospects have been blasted.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.”
plural of “entreaty” — earnest or urgent request
From this reading “My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.”
superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “My fairest prospects have been blasted.”
capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all
From this reading “My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.”
the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion)
From this reading “My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.”
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
From this reading “I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.”
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading “I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.”
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 My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading My fairest prospects have been blasted.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
an opposing military force
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
plural of “entreaty” — earnest or urgent request
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading My fairest prospects have been blasted.
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion)
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
plural of “prospect” — the possibility of future success
From this reading My fairest prospects have been blasted.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
with unreduced energy
From this reading My enemy has shown himself inaccessible to entreaties, and untired in persecution.
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny, and I could not escape.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading My fame, as well as my happiness, has become his victim.
a late time of life
From this reading My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity.
Chapter 1 of Caleb Williams by William Godwin holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 138 sentences of Caleb Williams, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Caleb Williams by William Godwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Caleb Williams by William Godwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 551 minutes of reading across 1323 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Caleb Williams section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Caleb Williams 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 Caleb Williams, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
