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.
Arguments were of no avail. In a sense, she was beaten. The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days. One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually: "How would you like a little trip out West?
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 24/73 · 5 reading units · Lines 116–120
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 “argument” — a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true
From this reading “Arguments were of no avail.”
use to one's advantage
From this reading “Arguments were of no avail.”
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading “In a sense, she was beaten.”
not methodically or according to plan
From this reading “One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:”
United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)
From this reading “The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.”
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
From this reading “The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “"How would you like a little trip out West?”
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 In a sense, she was beaten.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
plural of “argument” — a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true
From this reading Arguments were of no avail.
use to one's advantage
From this reading Arguments were of no avail.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading In a sense, she was beaten.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
not methodically or according to plan
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a sense, she was beaten.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
not any; not one
From this reading Arguments were of no avail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Arguments were of no avail.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
a general conscious awareness
From this reading In a sense, she was beaten.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In a sense, she was beaten.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The opera, books, travel, a few good friends--those that Morgan allowed her to keep--these filled her days.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In a sense, she was beaten.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Arguments were of no avail.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
at the time that
From this reading One evening she was particularly surprised when he said to her, casually:
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How would you like a little trip out West?
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.
