Chapter 1 of Stage-Land is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Stage-Land is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
STAGE-LAND. (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED. His name is George, generally speaking. "Call me George!" he says to the heroine. She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
Chapter 1 of Stage-Land is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading “She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).”
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading “(COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.”
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading “(COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.”
usually; as a rule
From this reading “His name is George, generally speaking.”
the main good female character in a work of fiction
From this reading “"Call me George!" he says to the heroine.”
with fondness; with love
From this reading “(COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.”
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading “She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).”
expressing or given to expressing the truth
From this reading “(COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.”
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 She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
for the reason that
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
in a relative manner; by comparison to something else
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
usually; as a rule
From this reading His name is George, generally speaking.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading His name is George, generally speaking.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
the main good female character in a work of fiction
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His name is George, generally speaking.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
with fondness; with love
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading His name is George, generally speaking.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading His name is George, generally speaking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STAGE-LAND.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Call me George!" he says to the heroine.
expressing or given to expressing the truth
From this reading (COMPARATIVELY) TRUTHFUL LITTLE BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED.
precisely as stated
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she is so young and timid).
Chapter 1 of Stage-Land by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 195 sentences of Stage-Land, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Stage-Land by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Stage-Land by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1030 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #858 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #858, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 85 minutes of reading across 206 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stage-Land section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Stage-Land 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 Stage-Land, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
