Chapter 1 of John Bull is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of John Bull is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected. The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts; GEORGE COLMAN, THE YOUNGER. As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
Chapter 1 of John Bull is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading “The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.”
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.”
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
From this reading “The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;”
plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.”
give an incentive for action
From this reading “Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.”
relating to or occurring or used in typography
From this reading “Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.”
left faulty or wrong
From this reading “Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GEORGE COLMAN, THE YOUNGER.
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
From this reading The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts;
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
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 GEORGE COLMAN, THE YOUNGER.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
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 Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
give an incentive for action
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading As Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
relating to or occurring or used in typography
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
left faulty or wrong
From this reading Typographical errors in the original 1807 edition have been left uncorrected.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Printed Under the Authority of the Managers from the Prompt Book.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading GEORGE COLMAN, THE YOUNGER.
Chapter 1 of John Bull by George Colman holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of John Bull, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of John Bull by George Colman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 John Bull by George Colman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1772 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20177, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 355 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John Bull section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of John Bull 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 John Bull, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
