Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution. So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon. "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married." Penelope was pensive. "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 11/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 51–55
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.
reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading “So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.”
humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
From this reading “But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.”
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading “But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.”
a preliminary sculpture in wax or clay from which a finished work can be copied
From this reading “But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.”
form in clay, wax, etc
From this reading “But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.”
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading “But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.”
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading “Penelope was pensive.”
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading “But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.”
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 “"There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.”
take in marriage
In this reading “"But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."”
as might be expected
In this reading “"But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."”
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 But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."
dearly loved
From this reading "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."
the luminous larva or wingless grub-like female of a firefly
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
joined in matrimony
From this reading "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."
humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
a preliminary sculpture in wax or clay from which a finished work can be copied
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
form in clay, wax, etc
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading Penelope was pensive.
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "There are other things than marriage," said Penelope.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But Ethel was meek and mild, and followed Penelope at a humble distance, modelling herself on that sweet mould of revolution.
love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
From this reading So might a penny candle imitate an arc-light; so a glowworm worship the big moon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But you’ll get married, dear," said Ethel, "of course you’ll get married."
Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope by Morley Roberts holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Lady Penelope, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Lady Penelope by Morley Roberts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Lady Penelope by Morley Roberts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6622 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45648 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45648, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 551 minutes of reading across 1325 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady Penelope section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Lady Penelope 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 Lady Penelope, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
