Chapter 1 of Jess is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Jess is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?” “Not at all.” “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?” “Why do you ask?” “Because I don’t think that you will like it.
Chapter 1 of Jess is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 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.
cover from sight
From this reading ““What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?””
a small farm worked by a crofter
From this reading ““Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?””
brought about or caused; not spontaneous
From this reading ““What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?””
past form of “limp” — walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading ““Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?””
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading ““Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?””
unpleasantly
From this reading ““Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?””
socially incorrect in behavior
From this reading ““Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?””
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading ““Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?””
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 “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Not at all.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Not at all.”
for the reason that
From this reading “Because I don’t think that you will like it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
cover from sight
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
a small farm worked by a crofter
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you ask?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Because I don’t think that you will like it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
ten 10s
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
brought about or caused; not spontaneous
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Because I don’t think that you will like it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Because I don’t think that you will like it.
past form of “limp” — walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not at all.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
unpleasantly
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
socially incorrect in behavior
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Because I don’t think that you will like it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
at the time that
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you ask?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Captain Niel,” said Bessie Croft—for she was named Bessie—when they had painfully limped one hundred yards or so, “will you think me rude if I ask you a question?”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “What has induced you to come and bury yourself in this place?”
Chapter 1 of Jess by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 201 sentences of Jess, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Jess by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Jess by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5411 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5898 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5898, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1083 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jess section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Jess 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 Jess, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
