Chapter 1 of Freaks on the Fells is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Freaks on the Fells is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE. STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1. MR SUDBERRY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE. Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant. He was also a fat little man.
Chapter 1 of Freaks on the Fells is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1.”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading “He was also a fat little man.”
plural of “fell” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
From this reading “FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
plural of “freak” — a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading “FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.”
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading “Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.”
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading “Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.”
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 STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.
in addition
From this reading He was also a fat little man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MR SUDBERRY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading He was also a fat little man.
plural of “fell” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
plural of “freak” — a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was also a fat little man.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading MR SUDBERRY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MR SUDBERRY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was also a fat little man.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was also a fat little man.
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR SUDBERRY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
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 STORY ONE, CHAPTER 1.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MR SUDBERRY IN HIS COUNTING-HOUSE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FREAKS ON THE FELLS, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr John Sudberry was a successful London merchant.
Chapter 1 of Freaks on the Fells by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of Freaks on the Fells, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Freaks on the Fells by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Freaks on the Fells by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 322 minutes of reading across 774 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Freaks on the Fells section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Freaks on the Fells 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 Freaks on the Fells, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
