Chapter 1 of Midnight Webs is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Midnight Webs is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London. This edition dated 1872. Midnight Webs, by George Manville Fenn. ________________________________________________________________________ MIDNIGHT WEBS, BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.
Chapter 1 of Midnight Webs is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.”
marked by features of the immediate and usually discounted past
From this reading “This edition dated 1872.”
a short simple song (or the words of a poem intended to be sung)
From this reading “STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.”
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading “This edition dated 1872.”
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading “Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.”
possessive form of “smith” — Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.”
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading “Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.”
plural of “web” — an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading “Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.”
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 Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This edition dated 1872.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
marked by features of the immediate and usually discounted past
From this reading This edition dated 1872.
a short simple song (or the words of a poem intended to be sung)
From this reading STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.
the form in which a text (especially a printed book) is published
From this reading This edition dated 1872.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
possessive form of “smith” — Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading STORY ONE: SMITH'S DITTY.
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This edition dated 1872.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
plural of “web” — an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading Midnight Webs By George Manville Fenn Published by Tinsley Brothers, 18 Catherine Street, Strand, London.
Chapter 1 of Midnight Webs by George Manville Fenn holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Midnight Webs, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Midnight Webs by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Midnight Webs by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3981 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36875 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36875, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 331 minutes of reading across 797 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Midnight Webs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Midnight Webs 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 Midnight Webs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
