Chapter 1 of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c. IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I. [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago! Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
Chapter 1 of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 period of 100 years
From this reading “Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.”
valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled
From this reading “THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.”
a local church community
From this reading “Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “[_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!”
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language
From this reading “[_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!”
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “IN TWO VOLUMES VOL.”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.”
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 “[_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!”
In this reading “IN TWO VOLUMES VOL.”
In this reading “Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.”
In this reading “Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.”
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 Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
in the past
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
a period of 100 years
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN TWO VOLUMES VOL.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
a local church community
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
precisely, exactly
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
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 Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE AUTHOR OF ’JOHN HERRING’ ’MEHALAH’ &c.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading IN TWO VOLUMES VOL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN TWO VOLUMES VOL.
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading IN TWO VOLUMES VOL.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
in or at the place that
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Half a century has passed since the writer was a child in the parish where he has laid the scene of this tale.
a late time of life
From this reading [_The right of translation is reserved_] *PREFACE.* Fifty years ago!
Chapter 1 of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2), unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3438 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54374 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54374, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 688 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Red Spider, Volume 1 (of 2) 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 Spider, Volume 1 (of 2), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
