Chapter 1 of Guy Falconer is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Guy Falconer is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready. Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done. It will not fatigue you much." The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker. "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
Chapter 1 of Guy Falconer is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
earnest or urgent request
From this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading “It will not fatigue you much."”
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading “Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.”
plural of “witness” — someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “"THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.”
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 old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
In this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
In this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
In this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
In this reading “The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.”
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 Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
in a serious manner
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
earnest or urgent request
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading It will not fatigue you much."
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
a man of refinement
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It will not fatigue you much."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It will not fatigue you much."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It will not fatigue you much."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
and nothing more
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
term of address for a man
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "You have decided, then, Geoffry," he said; "you are sure you don't mind?
a special situation
From this reading Only a stroke of the pen, and the thing is done.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It will not fatigue you much."
in the company of; together with
From this reading The old gentleman to whom this was spoken in a tone of gentle entreaty turned himself with difficulty on his bed, and looked earnestly at the speaker.
plural of “witness” — someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading "THE papers have arrived, sir, and the witnesses are ready.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It will not fatigue you much."
Chapter 1 of Guy Falconer by Lucy Ellen Guernsey holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 87 sentences of Guy Falconer, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Guy Falconer by Lucy Ellen Guernsey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Guy Falconer by Lucy Ellen Guernsey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2616 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 218 minutes of reading across 524 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Guy Falconer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Guy Falconer 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 Guy Falconer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
