Chapter 1 of Geoffrey Strong is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Geoffrey Strong is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor. "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?" The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile. "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you." "Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously.
Chapter 1 of Geoffrey Strong is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.”
apart from; not including
From this reading “"Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."”
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “"Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “"What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “"That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.”
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 "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
apart from; not including
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The old doctor checked his horse, and looked at the house with a smile.
carry out
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
with vivacity
From this reading "Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why not?" asked the young man, vivaciously.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What's the matter with my getting taken in there?"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Nothing in the world," he said, "except the small fact that they wouldn't take you."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "That's a pleasant looking house," said the young doctor.
Chapter 1 of Geoffrey Strong by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of Geoffrey Strong, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Geoffrey Strong by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Geoffrey Strong by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2178 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8877 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8877, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 181 minutes of reading across 436 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Geoffrey Strong section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Geoffrey Strong 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 Geoffrey Strong, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
