Chapter 1 of Doctor Therne is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Doctor Therne is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas. I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence. There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them. “Can you ride?” I asked.
Chapter 1 of Doctor Therne is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading ““What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.”
plural of “banana” — any of several tropical and subtropical treelike herbs of the genus Musa having a terminal crown of large entire leaves and usually bearing hanging clusters of elongated fruits
From this reading ““What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading ““What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.”
conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation
From this reading “I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.”
put a harness
From this reading “There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.”
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading “I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.”
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.”
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading ““What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.”
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 “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
plural of “banana” — any of several tropical and subtropical treelike herbs of the genus Musa having a terminal crown of large entire leaves and usually bearing hanging clusters of elongated fruits
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Can you ride?”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
put a harness
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
not accessible to view
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
not any; not one
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
in the near future
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “Can you ride?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
cut with a saw
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
not in physical motion
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading There could be no mistake about this, for the harness still hung to them.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I looked and saw that they were two of the mules which the brigands had cut loose from the diligence.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading “What are those?” said Emma presently, pointing to some animals that were half hidden by a clump of wild bananas.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Can you ride?”
Chapter 1 of Doctor Therne by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard holds 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 128 sentences of Doctor Therne, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Doctor Therne by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Doctor Therne by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1693 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5764 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5764, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 141 minutes of reading across 339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Doctor Therne section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Doctor Therne 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 Doctor Therne, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
