Chapter 1 of Edgar the Ready is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Edgar the Ready is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP. I. A Gallant Sacrifice II. An Ordeal of the Night III. The Castle of Wolsingham IV. The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.
Chapter 1 of Edgar the Ready 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 boy or man
From this reading “A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.”
possessive form of “edward” — King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
noisy quarrel
From this reading “The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.”
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading “I. A Gallant Sacrifice II.”
a severe or trying experience
From this reading “An Ordeal of the Night III.”
have sovereign power
From this reading “A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.”
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading “I. A Gallant Sacrifice II.”
having won
From this reading “The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.”
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.
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 A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Ordeal of the Night III.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading The Castle of Wolsingham IV.
a boy or man
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
possessive form of “edward” — King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
noisy quarrel
From this reading The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading I. A Gallant Sacrifice II.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I. A Gallant Sacrifice II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I. A Gallant Sacrifice II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading An Ordeal of the Night III.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The Castle of Wolsingham IV.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading An Ordeal of the Night III.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
a severe or trying experience
From this reading An Ordeal of the Night III.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.
have sovereign power
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading I. A Gallant Sacrifice II.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading A Tale of the Third Edward’s Reign CHAP.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.
having won
From this reading The Winning of Peter V. The Fracas VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Castle of Wolsingham IV.
Chapter 1 of Edgar the Ready by W. P. Shervill 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 Edgar the Ready, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Edgar the Ready by W. P. Shervill 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.
Common questions about reading Edgar the Ready by W. P. Shervill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 769 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Edgar the Ready section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Edgar the Ready 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 Edgar the Ready, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
