Chapter 1 of Rookwood is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Rookwood is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The immortal Ainsworth." _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt." _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II. The Skeleton Hand III. The Park IV.
Chapter 1 of Rookwood is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
foreshadow or presage
From this reading “_The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.”
Living forever; never dying or decaying. (Bất tử, trường tồn vĩnh cửu.)
From this reading “"The immortal Ainsworth."”
an account of the author's personal experiences
From this reading “_The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “_The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.”
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading “_The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.”
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading “The Skeleton Hand III.”
English writer (born in India) (1811-1863)
An arched structure of masonry forming a ceiling, or a secure subterranean storage room.
From this reading “_The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.”
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 _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The immortal Ainsworth."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The Skeleton Hand III.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
foreshadow or presage
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The Skeleton Hand III.
Living forever; never dying or decaying. (Bất tử, trường tồn vĩnh cửu.)
From this reading "The immortal Ainsworth."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The Park IV.
an account of the author's personal experiences
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading The Park IV.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading The Skeleton Hand III.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
English writer (born in India) (1811-1863)
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The immortal Ainsworth."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
An arched structure of masonry forming a ceiling, or a secure subterranean storage room.
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Thackeray._ "Gives a vivid picture of the times and places with which he dealt."
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading _The New York Herald._ A table of contents, though not present in the original publication, has been provided below: MEMOIR PREFACE I. The Vault II.
Chapter 1 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of Rookwood, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23564 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23564, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rookwood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Rookwood 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 Rookwood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
