Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[5] Volaterrae. The modern Volterra. The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement. [6] Pisse. Pisa [7] Massilia.
Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) is here in full — 308 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 35/61 · 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.
plural of “block” — a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.”
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading “The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.”
concrete pavement is sometimes referred to as cement
From this reading “The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.”
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading “The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.”
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading “The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.”
a fortified defensive structure
From this reading “The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.”
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading “The modern Volterra.”
a city in Tuscany; site of the famous Leaning Tower
From this reading “Pisa [7] Massilia.”
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 [5] Volaterrae.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [6] Pisse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pisa [7] Massilia.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
plural of “block” — a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
concrete pavement is sometimes referred to as cement
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
a fortified defensive structure
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pisa [7] Massilia.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading The modern Volterra.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
a city in Tuscany; site of the famous Leaning Tower
From this reading Pisa [7] Massilia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [6] Pisse.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The modern Volterra.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [5] Volaterrae.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The modern Volterra.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The walls of the ancient fortress were built of enormous blocks of stone fitted together without cement.
Chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson holds 308 sentences, grouped into 62 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 308 sentences of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series), unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 308 sentences, grouped into 62 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 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 62 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 Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) by O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13184 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13184, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) 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 Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
