Chapter 1 of Red Pottage is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Red Pottage is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within. --GEORGE MEREDITH. "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage. "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
Chapter 1 of Red Pottage is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights
From this reading “"I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.”
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading “"I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.”
United States civil rights leader whose college registration caused riots in traditionally segregated Mississippi (born in 1933)
From this reading “--GEORGE MEREDITH.”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.”
revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading “Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.”
gregarious birds native to the Old World
From this reading “"I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.”
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading “In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!”
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!”
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 "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals can be kept
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
intentionally conceived
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading --GEORGE MEREDITH.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
United States civil rights leader whose college registration caused riots in traditionally segregated Mississippi (born in 1933)
From this reading --GEORGE MEREDITH.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
not any; not one
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
plural of “passion” — a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
gregarious birds native to the Old World
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "I can't get out," said Sterne's starling, looking through the bars of his cage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will get out," said Hugh Scarlett to himself, seeing no bars, but half conscious of a cage.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Passions spin the plot: We are betray'd by what is false within.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be!
Chapter 1 of Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 109 sentences of Red Pottage, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8024 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1605 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Red Pottage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Red Pottage 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 Red Pottage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
