Chapter 1 of The Bad Man: A Novel is here in full — 365 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Bad Man: A Novel is here in full — 365 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life. She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business. What he did gave her little concern. Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation. It was foolish to go on in this way.
Chapter 1 of The Bad Man: A Novel is here in full — 365 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 21/73 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105
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.
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading “What he did gave her little concern.”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.”
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
From this reading “Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.”
in a compassionate manner
From this reading “She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.”
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading “Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.”
plural of “oasis” — a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
From this reading “Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.”
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading “She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.”
the state of lacking unity
From this reading “Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.”
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 Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading What he did gave her little concern.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading What he did gave her little concern.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading It was foolish to go on in this way.
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading What he did gave her little concern.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was foolish to go on in this way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading What he did gave her little concern.
in a compassionate manner
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
plural of “oasis” — a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
on one occasion
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
and nothing more
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
the state of lacking unity
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was foolish to go on in this way.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was foolish to go on in this way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It was foolish to go on in this way.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Had he but known it, they were the only bright oases in her monotonous life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What he did gave her little concern.
at the time that
From this reading She blessed those hours when he mercifully remained away on the pretext of business.
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Once she ventured to talk frankly with him about the wisdom of a legal separation.
Chapter 1 of The Bad Man: A Novel by Charles Hanson Towne holds 365 sentences, grouped into 73 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 365 sentences of The Bad Man: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Bad Man: A Novel by Charles Hanson Towne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 365 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 The Bad Man: A Novel by Charles Hanson Towne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5677 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16968 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16968, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 473 minutes of reading across 1136 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bad Man: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Bad Man: A Novel 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 The Bad Man: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
