Chapter 1 of Derelicts is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Derelicts is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman. The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded. Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat. “Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.” “So much the better,” said the man.
Chapter 1 of Derelicts is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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 mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.”
a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices
From this reading “Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.”
in this general vicinity
From this reading ““Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.””
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading ““Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.””
a narrow way or road
From this reading “Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.”
an ancient city in central Palestine founded in the 9th century BC as the capital of the northern Hebrew kingdom of Israel; the site is in present-day northwestern Jordan
From this reading “Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.”
seek information from
In this reading “The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.”
In this reading “Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.”
put clothing on one's body
In this reading “Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.”
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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading “Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.”
having the head uncovered
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
(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 “So much the better,” said the man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
in this general vicinity
From this reading “Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
a narrow way or road
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not much Bank Holiday hereabouts.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
a member of a police force
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
with speed
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
on the contrary
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
an ancient city in central Palestine founded in the 9th century BC as the capital of the northern Hebrew kingdom of Israel; the site is in present-day northwestern Jordan
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So much the better,” said the man.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, rather quickly, he put on his hat.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
in or at the place that
From this reading The man thus addressed looked up from the steps, where he was sitting bareheaded, and nodded.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Author of “At The Gate of Samaria” and “The Demagogue and Lady Phayre” John Lane: The Bodley Head London and New York Warm day” said the policeman.
Chapter 1 of Derelicts by William John Locke holds 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 288 sentences of Derelicts, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Derelicts by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Derelicts by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5902 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 491 minutes of reading across 1181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Derelicts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Derelicts 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 Derelicts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
