Chapter 1 of The Black Tortoise is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Black Tortoise is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II. Old Frick III. Mr. Reginald Howell IV. The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI. A Morning Visit VII.
Chapter 1 of The Black Tortoise is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading “_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.”
third-person singular of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading “_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.”
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
United States industrialist who amassed a fortune in the steel industry (1849-1919)
From this reading “_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.”
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading “_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.”
usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica
From this reading “The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.”
an act of traveling by water
From this reading “_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.”
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.
a station that serves as headquarters for police in a particular district; serves as a place from which policemen are dispatched and to which arrested persons are brought
In this reading “The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.”
In this reading “_Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.”
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 _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
anew
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
third-person singular of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
United States industrialist who amassed a fortune in the steel industry (1849-1919)
From this reading Old Frick III.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Reginald Howell IV.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Old Frick III.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Mr. Reginald Howell IV.
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading A Morning Visit VII.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Reginald Howell IV.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Reginald Howell IV.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The Black Tortoise again V. At the Police Station VI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading A Morning Visit VII.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading A Morning Visit VII.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading _Being the Strange Story of Old Frick’s Diamond_ I. Monk contemplates a Voyage to America II.
Chapter 1 of The Black Tortoise by Christian Sparre holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of The Black Tortoise, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Black Tortoise by Christian Sparre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Tortoise by Christian Sparre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46006, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 255 minutes of reading across 613 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Tortoise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Black Tortoise 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 Tortoise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
