Chapter 1 of Furze the Cruel is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Furze the Cruel is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ALSTON RIVERS, LTD. BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C. Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite. The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength. The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
Chapter 1 of Furze the Cruel is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights
From this reading “BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.”
plural of “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading “The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.”
English lyric poet (1887-1915)
From this reading “BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.”
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading “The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.”
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading “The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.”
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading “Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.”
common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere
From this reading “Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.”
in an imperceptible manner or to an imperceptible degree
From this reading “The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.”
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 Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.”
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.
anew
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ALSTON RIVERS, LTD.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights
From this reading BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.
plural of “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
English lyric poet (1887-1915)
From this reading BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
to or in any or all places
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.
in an imperceptible manner or to an imperceptible degree
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ALSTON RIVERS, LTD.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Almost everywhere on Dartmoor are Furze, Heather, and Granite.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading ALSTON RIVERS, LTD.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BROOKE ST., HOLBORN BARS, E.C.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Furze seems to suggest Cruelty, the Heather Endurance, and the Granite Strength.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading The Furze is destroyed by fire, but grows again; the Heather is torn by winds, but blossoms again; the Granite is worn away imperceptibly by the rain.
Chapter 1 of Furze the Cruel by John Trevena holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 205 sentences of Furze the Cruel, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Furze the Cruel by John Trevena exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Furze the Cruel by John Trevena on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8696 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34543 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34543, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1740 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Furze the Cruel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Furze the Cruel 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 Furze the Cruel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
