Chapter 1 of The Book of Romance is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Book of Romance is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock. A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book. In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
Chapter 1 of The Book of Romance is here in full — 357 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
gotten under control
From this reading “A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.”
possessive form of “editor” — a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading “In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.”
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading “In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.”
plural of “romance” — a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.”
plural of “tale” — 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 “In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.”
open the lock of
From this reading “It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.”
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 story about fairies; told to amuse children
In this reading “In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.”
In this reading “A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.”
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 few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
gotten under control
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
possessive form of “editor” — a person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication; the person who determines the final content of a text (especially of a newspaper or magazine)
From this reading In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
and nothing more
From this reading In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
plural of “romance” — a relationship between two lovers
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
required or under orders
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
plural of “tale” — 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 In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
open the lock of
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In the editor's opinion, romances are only fairy tales grown up.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It is to be supposed that children do not read Prefaces; these are Bluebeard's rooms, which they are not curious to unlock.
the words that are spoken
From this reading A few words may therefore be said about the Romances contained in this book.
Chapter 1 of The Book of Romance by Andrew [Editor] Lang holds 357 sentences, grouped into 72 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 357 sentences of The Book of Romance, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Book of Romance by Andrew [Editor] Lang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 357 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Book of Romance by Andrew [Editor] Lang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26646 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26646, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 822 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Book of Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Book of Romance 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 Book of Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
