Chapter 1 of In Luck at Last is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of In Luck at Last is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string. "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction. Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor. "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds." "I did.
Chapter 1 of In Luck at Last is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 31/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 151–155
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.
special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.
From this reading “He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.”
the act of beginning something new
From this reading “"You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.”
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading “"You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."”
a lightweight cord
From this reading “He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.”
being five more than twenty
From this reading “"You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."”
not tied
From this reading “He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.”
someone who visits
From this reading “Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor.”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.”
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 “"You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."”
In this reading “"You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.”
In this reading “He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.”
In this reading “Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."”
In this reading “"You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."”
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 He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
in the past
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I did.
in a doubtful manner
From this reading Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor.
special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I did.
the act of beginning something new
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
set down according to a plan
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
a form of address for a man
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
a lightweight cord
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
being five more than twenty
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
not tied
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
someone who visits
From this reading Mr. Emblem looked doubtfully at the visitor.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading He had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes, which, without a word, he laid before Mr. Emblem, and untied the string.
a late time of life
From this reading "You sold it to me twenty-five years ago," he went on, "for five pounds."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You ought to know this book," he said without further introduction.
Chapter 1 of In Luck at Last by Walter Besant holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of In Luck at Last, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of In Luck at Last by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 In Luck at Last by Walter Besant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4190 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16129 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16129, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In Luck at Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of In Luck at Last 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 In Luck at Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
