Chapter 1 of Mr. Achilles is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Mr. Achilles is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis. It flooded the room. “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly. “You wish me--tell that?” It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.
Chapter 1 of Mr. Achilles is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 39/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 191–195
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 mythical Greek hero of the Iliad
From this reading “A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading ““You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.”
covered with water
From this reading “It flooded the room.”
prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
From this reading “It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.”
the main temple of the goddess Athena; built on the acropolis in Athens more than 400 years B.C.; example of Doric architecture
From this reading ““You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.”
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading ““You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.”
showing pensive sadness
From this reading “It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.”
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.
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.”
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 A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
a mythical Greek hero of the Iliad
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
covered with water
From this reading It flooded the room.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It flooded the room.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
From this reading It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
the main temple of the goddess Athena; built on the acropolis in Athens more than 400 years B.C.; example of Doric architecture
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It flooded the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
express in words
From this reading “You wish me--tell that?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You wish me--tell that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A light came into the eyes of Achilles Alexandrakis.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “You wish me--tell that?”
showing pensive sadness
From this reading It was wistful--almost a cry of longing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You ask me--the Parthenon?” he said, solemnly.
Chapter 1 of Mr. Achilles by Jennette Lee holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 443 sentences of Mr. Achilles, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mr. Achilles by Jennette Lee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Mr. Achilles by Jennette Lee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2874 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4714 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4714, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 575 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr. Achilles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Mr. Achilles 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 Mr. Achilles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
