Chapter 1 of In the Mahdi's Grasp is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of In the Mahdi's Grasp is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn. A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi. For years it had been thought that he was dead. His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him. One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.
Chapter 1 of In the Mahdi's Grasp is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading “A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.”
(Islam) a messianic leader who (according to popular Muslim belief) will appear before the end of the world and restore justice and religion
From this reading “In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.”
having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
From this reading “One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.”
free from harm or evil
From this reading “His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.”
a strongly fortified defensive structure
From this reading “A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.”
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.”
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.”
widely or fully known
From this reading “One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.”
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 A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
hold firmly
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
(Islam) a messianic leader who (according to popular Muslim belief) will appear before the end of the world and restore justice and religion
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.
having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
From this reading One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.
free from harm or evil
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
a republic in northeastern Africa on the Red Sea; achieved independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
a strongly fortified defensive structure
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the Mahdi's Grasp, by George Manville Fenn.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading His friends in London decide to go and try to rescue him.
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
widely or fully known
From this reading One of them is a well-known and proficient surgeon.
a late time of life
From this reading For years it had been thought that he was dead.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading A young army officer has been captured during the wars in Soudan, and is being held as a slave in the stronghold of the Mahdi.
Chapter 1 of In the Mahdi's Grasp by George Manville Fenn holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of In the Mahdi's Grasp, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of In the Mahdi's Grasp by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 the Mahdi's Grasp by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6197 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24926 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24926, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 516 minutes of reading across 1240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Mahdi's Grasp section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of In the Mahdi's Grasp 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 the Mahdi's Grasp, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
