Chapter 1 of Friends, though divided is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Friends, though divided is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FOR THE KING. It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him. "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door. "Stirring news, Harry; but as dark as may be. War appears to be now certain.
Chapter 1 of Friends, though divided is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.”
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “War appears to be now certain.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.”
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading “It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.”
a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University
From this reading “It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.”
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading “"Stirring news, Harry; but as dark as may be.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.”
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 "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
eagerly desirous
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading War appears to be now certain.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Stirring news, Harry; but as dark as may be.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading War appears to be now certain.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "Stirring news, Harry; but as dark as may be.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading FOR THE KING.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading FOR THE KING.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Stirring news, Harry; but as dark as may be.
information about recent and important events
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading War appears to be now certain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
term of address for a man
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading "Stirring news, Harry; but as dark as may be.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FOR THE KING.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading War appears to be now certain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What news, father?" he said, as Sir Henry alighted at the door.
at the time that
From this reading It was late that evening when Sir Henry Furness returned from Oxford; but Harry, anxious to hear the all-absorbing news of the day, had waited up for him.
Chapter 1 of Friends, though divided by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 149 sentences of Friends, though divided, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Friends, though divided by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Friends, though divided by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4608 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11565 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11565, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 384 minutes of reading across 922 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Friends, though divided section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Friends, though divided 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 Friends, though divided, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
