Chapter 1 of Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE. 1895. _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court. It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
Chapter 1 of Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading “It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.”
possessive form of “giant” — any creature of exceptional size
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.”
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading “It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.”
any loose flowing garment
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “_In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.”
moral weakness
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.”
a town in central Belgium where in 1815 Napoleon met his final defeat
From this reading “LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.”
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.
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 LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1895.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
a heavy cannon with a long barrel used in the 16th and 17th centuries
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
tending to diminish or disparage
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
possessive form of “giant” — any creature of exceptional size
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
any loose flowing garment
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
term of address for a man
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
moral weakness
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "VICE VERSÂ," "THE GIANT'S ROBE," "VOCES POPULI," ETC.
a town in central Belgium where in 1815 Napoleon met his final defeat
From this reading LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a rainy Saturday morning in February._ Sir RUPERT _is at his writing-table, as_ Lady CULVERIN _enters with a deprecatory air_.
a fire-breathing dragon used in medieval heraldry; had the head of a dragon and the tail of a snake and a body with wings and two legs
From this reading _In_ Sir RUPERT CULVERIN'S _Study at Wyvern Court.
Chapter 1 of Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes by F. Anstey holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 126 sentences of Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes by F. Anstey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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.
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Yes. All 4011 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41589 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41589, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 803 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Lyre and Lancet: A Story in Scenes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
