Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips. "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you! He also loved for a whole summer, it may be. And yet again, it may be that he loved you all his life. For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 63/77 · 5 reading units · Lines 311–315
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.
capable of wounding
From this reading “And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.”
past form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading “For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."”
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!”
having much knowledge or education
From this reading “For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."”
not in physical motion
From this reading “And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.”
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading “And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.”
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."”
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 And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
anew
From this reading And yet again, it may be that he loved you all his life.
(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 And yet again, it may be that he loved you all his life.
in addition
From this reading He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.
capable of wounding
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
past form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
having much knowledge or education
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading And yet again, it may be that he loved you all his life.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
held dear
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
not in physical motion
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
sullen or unfriendly in appearance
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And yet again, it may be that he loved you all his life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
at the time that
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
during the time that
From this reading And he stood motionless for a while, scowling and biting his lips.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading He also loved for a whole summer, it may be.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
a late time of life
From this reading For twenty years and for more than twenty years I have debated the matter: and I am as well informed as when I started."
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet again, it may be that he loved you all his life.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wonder how long the poor devil loved you!
Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 386 sentences of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8771 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8771, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1020 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice 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 Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
