Chapter 1 of Inheritance is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Inheritance is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed. But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone. And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave. It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death. It shone as a symbol of His mercy.
Chapter 1 of Inheritance is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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 geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading “He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.”
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading “But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “It shone as a symbol of His mercy.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.”
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading “And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.”
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading “It shone as a symbol of His mercy.”
very small
From this reading “It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death.”
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 “He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.”
In this reading “He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.”
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 been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death.
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
destroyed or killed
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It shone as a symbol of His mercy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death.
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading It shone as a symbol of His mercy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
and nothing more
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
From this reading It shone as a symbol of His mercy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He had been in the cave for only a short time it seemed.
very small
From this reading It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
at the time that
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And it had left him with a strange-- It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness of the cave.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading But when he finally emerged the world he knew was gone.
Chapter 1 of Inheritance by Edward W. Ludwig holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 254 sentences of Inheritance, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Inheritance by Edward W. Ludwig exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Inheritance by Edward W. Ludwig on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Inheritance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Inheritance 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 Inheritance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
