Chapter 1 of No Defense, Complete is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of No Defense, Complete is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these: "Howe has downed the French at Brest. He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution. Hurrah!" The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
Chapter 1 of No Defense, Complete is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
a port city in northwestern France (in Brittany); the chief naval station of France
From this reading “"Howe has downed the French at Brest.”
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.”
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.”
past form of “down” — drink down entirely
From this reading “"Howe has downed the French at Brest.”
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading “"Howe has downed the French at Brest.”
a victory cheer
From this reading “Hurrah!"”
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading “He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.”
very drunk
From this reading “He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.”
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 He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.
exhale hard
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
a port city in northwestern France (in Brittany); the chief naval station of France
From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
past form of “down” — drink down entirely
From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.
a victory cheer
From this reading Hurrah!"
a room where books are kept
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
very drunk
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
at the time that
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
the words that are spoken
From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
Chapter 1 of No Defense, Complete by Gilbert Parker holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 141 sentences of No Defense, Complete, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of No Defense, Complete by Gilbert Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 No Defense, Complete by Gilbert Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 418 minutes of reading across 1005 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through No Defense, Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of No Defense, Complete 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 No Defense, Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
