Chapter 1 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew. By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew. Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew. And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew. And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.
Chapter 1 of Smoke Bellew is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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 member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading “Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.”
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading “In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.”
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading “By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.”
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading “Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.”
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
From this reading “And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.”
the aggregate of past events
From this reading “And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.”
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading “Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
From this reading And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
not any; not one
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Later, in the Bohemian crowd of San Francisco, he was called Kit Bellew.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And in the end he was known by no other name than Smoke Bellew.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And this history of the evolution of his name is the history of his evolution.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By the time he was at college he had become Chris Bellew.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the beginning he was Christopher Bellew.
Chapter 1 of Smoke Bellew by Jack London holds 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 238 sentences of Smoke Bellew, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Smoke Bellew by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Smoke Bellew by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3407 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1596 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1596, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Smoke Bellew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Smoke Bellew 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 Smoke Bellew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
