Chapter I of Starvecrow Farm, “Across the Quicksands,” is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter I of Starvecrow Farm, “Across the Quicksands,” is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A head appeared at either window of the postchaise. Henrietta looked forward. Her lover looked back. The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands. Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
Chapter I of Starvecrow Farm, “Across the Quicksands,” is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading “The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.”
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading “Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.”
weakening in force or intensity
From this reading “Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.”
a historical area of northwestern England on the Irish Sea; noted for textiles
From this reading “Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.”
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading “Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.”
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “Her lover looked back.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.”
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading “The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
expect or hope for
In this reading “Henrietta looked forward.”
look towards one's back
In this reading “Her lover looked back.”
In this reading “A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.”
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 A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Her lover looked back.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
one or the other of two
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
weakening in force or intensity
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Henrietta looked forward.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Henrietta looked forward.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her lover looked back.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
a historical area of northwestern England on the Irish Sea; noted for textiles
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Henrietta looked forward.
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading Her lover looked back.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading The postchaise had nearly cleared the sands.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Behind it the low line of Lancashire coast was fading from sight.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading A head appeared at either window of the postchaise.
Chapter 1 of Starvecrow Farm by Stanley John Weyman holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of Starvecrow Farm, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Starvecrow Farm by Stanley John Weyman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Starvecrow Farm by Stanley John Weyman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8968 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39138 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39138, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Starvecrow Farm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Starvecrow Farm 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 Starvecrow Farm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
