Chapter 1 of Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CAPTAIN SWORD AND CAPTAIN PEN. BY LEIGH HUNT. WAR AND MILITARY STATESMEN. --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON. CHARLES KNIGHT, LUDGATE STREET.
Chapter 1 of Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 cherished desire
From this reading “--If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.”
achieved or reached
From this reading “--If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.”
a quantity of no importance
From this reading “--If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.”
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading “BY LEIGH HUNT.”
English film actress (1913-1967)
From this reading “BY LEIGH HUNT.”
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading “--If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.”
plural of “statesman” — a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs
From this reading “WAR AND MILITARY STATESMEN.”
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading “--If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.”
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.
a cherished desire
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CAPTAIN SWORD AND CAPTAIN PEN.
achieved or reached
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
a quantity of no importance
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY LEIGH HUNT.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading CAPTAIN SWORD AND CAPTAIN PEN.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading CHARLES KNIGHT, LUDGATE STREET.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
a state of high honor
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading BY LEIGH HUNT.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading CHARLES KNIGHT, LUDGATE STREET.
English film actress (1913-1967)
From this reading BY LEIGH HUNT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHARLES KNIGHT, LUDGATE STREET.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare
From this reading WAR AND MILITARY STATESMEN.
English poet; remembered primarily as the author of an epic poem describing humanity's fall from grace (1608-1674)
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading CAPTAIN SWORD AND CAPTAIN PEN.
plural of “statesman” — a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs
From this reading WAR AND MILITARY STATESMEN.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading CHARLES KNIGHT, LUDGATE STREET.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading CAPTAIN SWORD AND CAPTAIN PEN.
in or at that place or location
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading WAR AND MILITARY STATESMEN.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading --If there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attained, Without ambition, war, or violence.--MILTON.
Chapter 1 of Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem by Leigh Hunt holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem by Leigh Hunt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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.
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About 36 minutes of reading across 87 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
