Chapter 1 of In the Quarter is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of In the Quarter is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The day broke hot and stifling. The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery. “Dragoons in the Luxembourg!” cried the gamins to each other. “What for?” But even the gamins did not know—yet.
Chapter 1 of In the Quarter is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
a person who is being chased
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
plural of “group” — any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
the capital and largest city of Luxembourg
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
past form of “picket” — serve as pickets or post pickets
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
From this reading “The day broke hot and stifling.”
plural of “thicket” — a dense growth of bushes
From this reading “The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.”
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.
in addition
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The day broke hot and stifling.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
lacking funds
From this reading The day broke hot and stifling.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But even the gamins did not know—yet.
a person who is being chased
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Dragoons in the Luxembourg!” cried the gamins to each other.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The day broke hot and stifling.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But even the gamins did not know—yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading “Dragoons in the Luxembourg!” cried the gamins to each other.
divisible by two
From this reading But even the gamins did not know—yet.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “What for?”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dragoons in the Luxembourg!” cried the gamins to each other.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
plural of “group” — any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The day broke hot and stifling.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But even the gamins did not know—yet.
the capital and largest city of Luxembourg
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But even the gamins did not know—yet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Dragoons in the Luxembourg!” cried the gamins to each other.
past form of “picket” — serve as pickets or post pickets
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
From this reading The day broke hot and stifling.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The day broke hot and stifling.
plural of “thicket” — a dense growth of bushes
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Dragoons in the Luxembourg!” cried the gamins to each other.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What for?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The first sunbeams which chased the fog from bridge and street also drove the mists from the cool thickets of the Luxembourg Garden, and revealed groups of dragoons picketed in the shrubbery.
but in spite of that
From this reading But even the gamins did not know—yet.
Chapter 1 of In the Quarter by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 200 sentences of In the Quarter, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of In the Quarter by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Quarter by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3915 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6893 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6893, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 326 minutes of reading across 783 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Quarter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of In the Quarter 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 Quarter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
