Chapter 1 of Speed the plough is here in full — 475 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Speed the plough is here in full — 475 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN. BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ. PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK. WITH REMARKS BY MRS. INCHBALD.
Chapter 1 of Speed the plough is here in full — 475 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.”
United States jazz musician who moved from ragtime to New Orleans jazz (1885-1941)
From this reading “BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.”
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading “AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.”
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading “PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.”
give an incentive for action
From this reading “PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.”
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “WITH REMARKS BY MRS.”
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading “AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name
From this reading BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading INCHBALD.
plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
United States jazz musician who moved from ragtime to New Orleans jazz (1885-1941)
From this reading BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading WITH REMARKS BY MRS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
give an incentive for action
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading WITH REMARKS BY MRS.
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
in the company of; together with
From this reading WITH REMARKS BY MRS.
Chapter 1 of Speed the plough by Thomas Morton holds 475 sentences, grouped into 95 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 475 sentences of Speed the plough, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Speed the plough by Thomas Morton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 475 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 Speed the plough by Thomas Morton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1439 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 119 minutes of reading across 288 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Speed the plough section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Speed the plough 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 Speed the plough, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
