Chapter 1 of Simon the Jester is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Simon the Jester is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand. “By Jove, here you are at last!” I smoothed my crushed fingers. “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.” “Oh, rot!” he said.
Chapter 1 of Simon the Jester is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading “I smoothed my crushed fingers.”
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading “I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.”
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading ““You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.””
-ing form of “proclaim” — declare formally; declare someone to be something; of titles
From this reading ““You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.””
a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
From this reading ““Oh, rot!” he said.”
made smooth by ironing
From this reading “I smoothed my crushed fingers.”
marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid
From this reading ““You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.””
in a violent manner
From this reading “I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.”
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 “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
later than; following
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “By Jove, here you are at last!”
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading I smoothed my crushed fingers.
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
dearly loved
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading I smoothed my crushed fingers.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, rot!” he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “By Jove, here you are at last!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
(Roman mythology) supreme god of Romans; counterpart of Greek Zeus
From this reading “By Jove, here you are at last!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
immediately past
From this reading “By Jove, here you are at last!”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, rot!” he said.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
-ing form of “proclaim” — declare formally; declare someone to be something; of titles
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
From this reading “Oh, rot!” he said.
done under pressure
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Oh, rot!” he said.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
made smooth by ironing
From this reading I smoothed my crushed fingers.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid
From this reading “You have such a vehement manner of proclaiming the obvious, my dear Dale.”
in a violent manner
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
at the time that
From this reading I was at breakfast on the morning after my arrival in London, when Dale Kynnersley rushed in and seized me violently by the hand.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “By Jove, here you are at last!”
Chapter 1 of Simon the Jester by William John Locke holds 322 sentences, grouped into 65 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 322 sentences of Simon the Jester, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Simon the Jester by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 322 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 Simon the Jester by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3828, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Simon the Jester section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Simon the Jester 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 Simon the Jester, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
