Chapter I of The Black Patch, “In the Garden of Eden,” is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter I of The Black Patch, “In the Garden of Eden,” is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!" "I see; you marry the adjective." "The man, Beatrice, the man. Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better. But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
Chapter I of The Black Patch, “In the Garden of Eden,” is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
a word that expresses an attribute of something
From this reading “"I see; you marry the adjective."”
the woman who guided Dante through Paradise in the Divine Comedy
From this reading “"The man, Beatrice, the man.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."”
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading “"Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"”
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading “But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."”
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading “But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."”
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."”
performs some wicked deed
From this reading “"Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “"Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"”
increase the likelihood of
In this reading “Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.”
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 "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
a word that expresses an attribute of something
From this reading "I see; you marry the adjective."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
the woman who guided Dante through Paradise in the Divine Comedy
From this reading "The man, Beatrice, the man.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
dearly loved
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I see; you marry the adjective."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "The man, Beatrice, the man.
take in marriage
From this reading "I see; you marry the adjective."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Give me a real man and I ask for nothing better.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see; you marry the adjective."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I see; you marry the adjective."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But the genuine male is so difficult to find nowadays."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
performs some wicked deed
From this reading "Of course he's a wretch, dear; but oh!"--with an ecstatic expression--"what a nice wretch!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I see; you marry the adjective."
Chapter 1 of The Black Patch by Fergus Hume holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 207 sentences of The Black Patch, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Black Patch by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Black Patch by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5681 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55305, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 473 minutes of reading across 1137 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Patch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Black Patch 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 Black Patch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
