Chapter 1 of Phyllis of Philistia is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Phyllis of Philistia is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE. “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?” “Ah!” sighed Phyllis. She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went. He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.
Chapter 1 of Phyllis of Philistia is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 physicist who studies astronomy
From this reading “AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.”
an expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts
From this reading “He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.”
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.”
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading “She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.”
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading “He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading ““Ah!” sighed Phyllis.”
crush together or collapse
From this reading “AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.”
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 AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.
later than; following
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah!” sighed Phyllis.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
eagerly desirous
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
a physicist who studies astronomy
From this reading AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
miscellaneous curios
From this reading He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.
an expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts
From this reading He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah!” sighed Phyllis.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Ah!” sighed Phyllis.
crush together or collapse
From this reading AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was a connoisseur in the bric-a-brac of phrases.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She knew that her father had become possessed of a phrase, and that he was anxious to flutter it before her to see how it went.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “After all,” said Mr. Ayrton, “what is marriage?”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading AN ASTRONOMER WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.
Chapter 1 of Phyllis of Philistia by Frank Frankfort Moore holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 100 sentences of Phyllis of Philistia, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Phyllis of Philistia by Frank Frankfort Moore exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Phyllis of Philistia by Frank Frankfort Moore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4882 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2155, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 406 minutes of reading across 977 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phyllis of Philistia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Phyllis of Philistia 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 Phyllis of Philistia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
