Chapter 1 of Living Alone is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Living Alone is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London. Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees. They need not be mentioned in detail. The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins. Miss Ford was a good woman, as well as a lady.
Chapter 1 of Living Alone is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading “Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.”
plural of “committee” — a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading “Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.”
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading “They need not be mentioned in detail.”
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading “The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.”
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “They need not be mentioned in detail.”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.”
not in accord with or not following current fashion
From this reading “There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.”
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 There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Miss Ford was a good woman, as well as a lady.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They need not be mentioned in detail.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
plural of “committee” — a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading They need not be mentioned in detail.
United States film maker (1896-1973)
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Miss Ford was a good woman, as well as a lady.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading They need not be mentioned in detail.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading They need not be mentioned in detail.
not any; not one
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They need not be mentioned in detail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
in other respects or ways
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They need not be mentioned in detail.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three of the women were of the kind that has no life apart from committees.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The names of two others were Miss Meta Mostyn Ford and Lady Arabel Higgins.
not in accord with or not following current fashion
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
not equipped with what is needed especially furniture
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Miss Ford was a good woman, as well as a lady.
(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 Miss Ford was a good woman, as well as a lady.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Miss Ford was a good woman, as well as a lady.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading There were six women, seven chairs, and a table in an otherwise unfurnished room in an unfashionable part of London.
Chapter 1 of Living Alone by Stella Benson holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 199 sentences of Living Alone, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Living Alone by Stella Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Living Alone by Stella Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2602 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14907 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14907, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 216 minutes of reading across 521 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Living Alone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Living Alone 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 Living Alone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
