Chapter 1 of Man and Wife is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Man and Wife is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The third person was a guest. The husband’s name was Vanborough. The guest’s name was Kendrew. It was the end of the dinner. The fruit and the wine were on the table.
Chapter 1 of Man and Wife is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 10/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 46–50
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.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “It was the end of the dinner.”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading “The fruit and the wine were on the table.”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “The third person was a guest.”
possessive form of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
a human being
From this reading “The third person was a guest.”
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “The third person was a guest.”
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading “The fruit and the wine were on the table.”
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 The third person was a guest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fruit and the wine were on the table.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading It was the end of the dinner.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading It was the end of the dinner.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading The fruit and the wine were on the table.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading The third person was a guest.
possessive form of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading The guest’s name was Kendrew.
possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading The husband’s name was Vanborough.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the end of the dinner.
English biologist noted for studies of the molecular structure of blood components (born in 1917)
From this reading The guest’s name was Kendrew.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The husband’s name was Vanborough.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the end of the dinner.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The fruit and the wine were on the table.
a human being
From this reading The third person was a guest.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The fruit and the wine were on the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The third person was a guest.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading The third person was a guest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The husband’s name was Vanborough.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The third person was a guest.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The fruit and the wine were on the table.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading The fruit and the wine were on the table.
Chapter 1 of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of Man and Wife, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 16495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1586 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1586, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Man and Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Man and Wife 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 Man and Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
