Chapter 1 of Rank and Talent is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Rank and Talent is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!" SHAKSPEARE. The season commenced in London much as usual. New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition. All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
Chapter 1 of Rank and Talent is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 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.
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “The season commenced in London much as usual.”
the act of exhibiting
From this reading “New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.”
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading “All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.”
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading “All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.”
past form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.”
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “The season commenced in London much as usual.”
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading “"Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"”
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading “All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.”
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 “All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.”
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.
(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 All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
the act of exhibiting
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
past form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHAKSPEARE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading The season commenced in London much as usual.
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading "Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading New faces were prepared, and old ones repaired, for exhibition.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this!"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading All the world was weary of the country; the ocean was monotonous; and the game all killed.
Chapter 1 of Rank and Talent by William Pitt Scargill holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 103 sentences of Rank and Talent, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Rank and Talent by William Pitt Scargill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Rank and Talent by William Pitt Scargill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2007 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44996 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44996, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 402 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rank and Talent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Rank and Talent 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 Rank and Talent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
