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Into the Primitive
Into the Primitive

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Into the Primitive is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Into the Primitive
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.
A. C. McClurg & Co.
_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._
FOR THE WHITE CHRIST.
A Story of the Days of Charlemagne.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Into the Primitive

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Into the Primitive is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.
Line 2
A. C. McClurg & Co.
Line 3
_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._
Line 4
FOR THE WHITE CHRIST.
/fɔːr ðə waɪt kraɪst/
Line 5
A Story of the Days of Charlemagne.
/ə ˈstɔːri ʌv ðə deɪz ʌv ˈʃɑːrləmeɪn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

blast verb US /blæst/

make a strident sound

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

bloody adjective US /ˈblʌdi/

having or covered with or accompanied by blood

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

blossom verb US /ˈblɑːsəm/

produce or yield flowers

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

Charlemagne noun US /ˈʃɑːrləmeɪn/

king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor; conqueror of the Lombards and Saxons (742-814)

From this reading “A Story of the Days of Charlemagne.”

fang noun US /fæŋ/

a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

hurricane noun US /ˈhɜːrəkeɪn/

a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds moving at 63-136 knots (12 on the Beaufort scale)

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

Primitive adjective US /ˈprɪmətɪv/

belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

tooth noun US /tuːθ/

hard bonelike structures in the jaws of vertebrates; used for biting and chewing or for attack and defense

From this reading “_To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._”

All words in this reading · 42

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A. C. McClurg & Co.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

beastnounUS /biːst/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

blastverbUS /blæst/

make a strident sound

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

bloodyadjectiveUS /ˈblʌdi/

having or covered with or accompanied by blood

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

blossomverbUS /ˈblɑːsəm/

produce or yield flowers

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

CnounUS /siː/

a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature

From this reading A. C. McClurg & Co.

CharlemagnenounUS /ˈʃɑːrləmeɪn/

king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor; conqueror of the Lombards and Saxons (742-814)

From this reading A Story of the Days of Charlemagne.

ChristnounUS /kraɪst/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading "For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.

ConounUS /koʊ/

an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon

From this reading A. C. McClurg & Co.

DaysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading A Story of the Days of Charlemagne.

Etc

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.

fangnounUS /fæŋ/

a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

fevernounUS /ˈfiːvər/

a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

hatenounUS /heɪt/

the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

hurricanenounUS /ˈhɜːrəkeɪn/

a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds moving at 63-136 knots (12 on the Beaufort scale)

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

LifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

McClurg

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A. C. McClurg & Co.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

painnounUS /peɪn/

a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

PrimitiveadjectiveUS /ˈprɪmətɪv/

belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

snakenounUS /sneɪk/

limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

stormverbUS /stɔːrm/

behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

StorynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading A Story of the Days of Charlemagne.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.

Thyra

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

toothnounUS /tuːθ/

hard bonelike structures in the jaws of vertebrates; used for biting and chewing or for attack and defense

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

venomedadjective

full of malice or hate

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

WhitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading "For the White Christ," "Thyra," Etc.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading _To the man and to the beast;_ _To the girl, the snake, the blossom;_ _To fever and fire and fear;_ _To hurricane blast and storm within;_ _To bloody fang and venomed tooth;_ _To love, to hate, to pain, to joy,--_ _For of such is Life,_ _In the Primitive--and out._

Chapter 1 of Into the Primitive by Robert Ames Bennet holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

What does chapter 1 of Into the Primitive contain?

Chapter 1 holds 99 sentences of Into the Primitive, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Into the Primitive by Robert Ames Bennet exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Into the Primitive?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Into the Primitive

Common questions about reading Into the Primitive by Robert Ames Bennet on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Into the Primitive?

Yes. All 4737 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33903 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Into the Primitive is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33903, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Into the Primitive take to read?

About 394 minutes of reading across 948 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Into the Primitive section by section

How to work through Into the Primitive section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of Into the Primitive to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Into the Primitive

Words and structures a reader meets early in Into the Primitive, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

White
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Into the Primitive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Christ
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Into the Primitive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thyra
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Into the Primitive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mcclurg
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Into the Primitive; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.