Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say? Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge? Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts! Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached. Not that she preached at length.
Chapter 1 of Lady Penelope is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 9/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 41–45
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.
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!”
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading “Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?”
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading “Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!”
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading “Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!”
(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 “Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.”
past form of “preach” — deliver a sermon
From this reading “Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.”
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading “Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?”
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading “Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?”
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading “Not that she preached at length.”
move upward
In this reading “Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.”
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.
(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 Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
any thing at all
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Not that she preached at length.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
put on clothes
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Not that she preached at length.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
(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 Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.
past form of “preach” — deliver a sermon
From this reading Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.
possessing material wealth
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
express in words
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not that she preached at length.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading Was it not to do something if one spent one’s money on horses and sport and dress and bridge?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that she preached at length.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was it not to be something if one was rich, let us say?
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.
at the time that
From this reading Hands went up to heaven when Penelope preached.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Heaven defend us all if anything more is asked of man or woman than killing time and killing beasts!
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.
