Chapter 1 of Revenge! is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Revenge! is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
REVENGE! JAMES SAMSON, M.D. In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours. John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other. This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
Chapter 1 of Revenge! is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 distinguishing emblem
From this reading “In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.”
make or do or perform again
From this reading “This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.”
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading “This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.”
past form of “matter” — have weight; have import, carry weight
From this reading “This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.”
plural of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading “In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.”
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
From this reading “In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.”
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading “In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.”
(Old Testament) a judge of Israel who performed herculean feats of strength against the Philistines until he was betrayed to them by his mistress Delilah
From this reading “JAMES SAMSON, M.D.”
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 John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
a distinguishing emblem
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading JAMES SAMSON, M.D.
make or do or perform again
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES SAMSON, M.D.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading JAMES SAMSON, M.D.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
joined in matrimony
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
past form of “matter” — have weight; have import, carry weight
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
plural of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
not any; not one
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading REVENGE!
(Old Testament) a judge of Israel who performed herculean feats of strength against the Philistines until he was betrayed to them by his mistress Delilah
From this reading JAMES SAMSON, M.D.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
which person or people
From this reading John Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other.
belonging to which person
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.
Chapter 1 of Revenge! by Robert Barr holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Revenge!, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Revenge! by Robert Barr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Revenge! by Robert Barr on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4867 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8668 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8668, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 974 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Revenge! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Revenge! 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 Revenge!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
