Chapter 1 of Pincher Martin, O.D. is here in full — 17 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Pincher Martin, O.D. is here in full — 17 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Pincher Martin, O.D. 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c. PREFACE. This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption. Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
Chapter 1 of Pincher Martin, O.D. is here in full — 17 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 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.
only a very short time before
From this reading “Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.”
possessive form of “chambers” — English architect (1723-1796)
plural of “chapter” — a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.”
do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of
From this reading “This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.”
an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity
From this reading “This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.”
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
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 “Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “PREFACE.”
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.
In this reading “This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.”
In this reading “Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.”
direct the course of; manage or control
In this reading “'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.”
In this reading “Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.”
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 Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.
only a very short time before
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.
possessive form of “chambers” — English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
plural of “chapter” — a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading Pincher Martin, O.D.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading Pincher Martin, O.D.
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 Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Pincher Martin, O.D.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pincher Martin, O.D.
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading PREFACE.
on the contrary
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
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 This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
the railing around the stern of a ship
From this reading 'TAFFRAIL' Author of 'Carry On,' &c., &c.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
at the time that
From this reading Indeed, when the first chapters appeared in _Chambers's Journal_ early in 1916 the narrative was barely half-finished.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading This story was written in rather difficult circumstances, and subject to frequent interruption.
Chapter 1 of Pincher Martin, O.D. by H. Taprell (Henry Taprell) Dorling holds 17 sentences, grouped into 4 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 17 sentences of Pincher Martin, O.D., unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Pincher Martin, O.D. by H. Taprell (Henry Taprell) Dorling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 17 sentences, grouped into 4 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 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 4 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 Pincher Martin, O.D. by H. Taprell (Henry Taprell) Dorling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 542 minutes of reading across 1302 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pincher Martin, O.D. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Pincher Martin, O.D. 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 Pincher Martin, O.D., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
