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.
“What do you want here?” The man was a well-bred English servant. In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up. He had his words to speak, and he spoke them. “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
Chapter 1 of Man and Wife is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 82/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 406–410
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.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading “The man was a well-bred English servant.”
characteristic of humanity
From this reading “In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “The man was a well-bred English servant.”
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading ““There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.””
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.”
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 man was a well-bred English servant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you want here?”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading The man was a well-bred English servant.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “What do you want here?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
characteristic of humanity
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man was a well-bred English servant.
on one occasion
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading The man was a well-bred English servant.
term of address for a man
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
express in speech
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man was a well-bred English servant.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had his words to speak, and he spoke them.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “What do you want here?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man was a well-bred English servant.
of good upbringing
From this reading The man was a well-bred English servant.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you want here?”
at the time that
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
which person or people
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “There is a lady at the door, Sir, who wishes to see the house.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading In other words, a human machine, doing its duty impenetrably when it was once wound up.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you want here?”
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.
