Chapter 1 of Man and Wife is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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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.
“My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.” Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly. “Don’t talk in that way,” he said. “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see. If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
Chapter 1 of Man and Wife is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 35/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
a cherished desire
From this reading ““My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.””
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading ““My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.””
deserving of respect or high regard
From this reading ““My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.””
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading ““If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.”
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading ““If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.”
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading ““My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.””
relating to or having the nature of a parliament
From this reading ““My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.””
the peers of a kingdom considered as a group
From this reading ““My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.””
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 “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
a cherished desire
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t talk in that way,” he said.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
deserving of respect or high regard
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
characterized by jokes and good humor
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
English biologist noted for studies of the molecular structure of blood components (born in 1917)
From this reading Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly.
held up in the air
From this reading Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
not any; not one
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
relating to or having the nature of a parliament
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
the peers of a kingdom considered as a group
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
on the contrary
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Don’t talk in that way,” he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Don’t talk in that way,” he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Kendrew lifted his hand warningly.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “My ambition,” he said, “sees a Parliamentary career, with a Peerage at the end of it--and with no obstacle in the way but my estimable wife.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you’re in earnest--you force a suspicion on me which I would rather not feel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If you’re joking--it’s a joke I don’t see.
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.
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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.
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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.
