Chapter 1 of Plain Jane is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Plain Jane is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1. The Flamp. 2. Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories. 3.
Chapter 1 of Plain Jane is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
warding off
From this reading “Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.”
a set of tags and rules (conforming to SGML) for using them in developing hypertext documents
From this reading “[The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.”
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading “[The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.”
third-person singular of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading “[The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.”
plural of “story” — 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 “Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.”
the words of something written
From this reading “[The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.”
possessive form of “turner” — United States slave and insurrectionist who in 1831 led a rebellion of slaves in Virginia; he was captured and executed (1800-1831)
From this reading “Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.”
an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint
From this reading “[The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.”
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 [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3.
(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 [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
warding off
From this reading Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Flamp.
a set of tags and rules (conforming to SGML) for using them in developing hypertext documents
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
third-person singular of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
plural of “story” — 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 Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.
the words of something written
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
possessive form of “turner” — United States slave and insurrectionist who in 1831 led a rebellion of slaves in Virginia; he was captured and executed (1800-1831)
From this reading Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories.
an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint
From this reading [The HTML version of this text includes all illustrations.] 1.
Chapter 1 of Plain Jane by G. M. George holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 187 sentences of Plain Jane, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Plain Jane by G. M. George exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Plain Jane by G. M. George on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 187 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23455 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23455, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 15 minutes of reading across 38 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plain Jane section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Plain Jane 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 Plain Jane, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
