Chapter 1 of Count Alarcos is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Count Alarcos is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
II:2:12 COUN. Would that he had not sung! It is a sport In which I find no pastime. II:2:13 ALAR. Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
Chapter 1 of Count Alarcos is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
of or relating to the axil
From this reading “II:2:13 ALAR.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Marry, come, It gives me great delight.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “It is a sport In which I find no pastime.”
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “Marry, come, It gives me great delight.”
take in marriage
From this reading “Marry, come, It gives me great delight.”
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
From this reading “It is a sport In which I find no pastime.”
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading “It is a sport In which I find no pastime.”
the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy
From this reading “Would that he had not sung!”
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 II:2:12 COUN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading II:2:13 ALAR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading II:2:12 COUN.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
of or relating to the axil
From this reading II:2:13 ALAR.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading II:2:12 COUN.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Would that he had not sung!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Would that he had not sung!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading II:2:12 COUN.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
take in marriage
From this reading Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Marry, come, It gives me great delight.
not any; not one
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Would that he had not sung!
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy
From this reading Would that he had not sung!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Would that he had not sung!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It is a sport In which I find no pastime.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Would that he had not sung!
Chapter 1 of Count Alarcos by Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Count Alarcos, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Count Alarcos by Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Count Alarcos by Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 863 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7487 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7487, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 71 minutes of reading across 173 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Count Alarcos section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Count Alarcos 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 Count Alarcos, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
