Chapter 1 of The Borough is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Borough is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main. POPE, Homer's Iliad. Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich. POPE, Imitation of Spencer.
Chapter 1 of The Borough is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
make better or improve in quality
From this reading “Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.”
comparative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.”
possessive form of “homer” — a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading “POPE, Homer's Iliad.”
a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the siege of Troy
From this reading “POPE, Homer's Iliad.”
plural of “navy” — an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading “These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.”
order by virtue of superior authority; decree
From this reading “These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.”
the act of perceiving the odor of something
From this reading “Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.”
English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
From this reading “POPE, Imitation of Spencer.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
make better or improve in quality
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
comparative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
possessive form of “homer” — a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading POPE, Homer's Iliad.
a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the siege of Troy
From this reading POPE, Homer's Iliad.
the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
From this reading POPE, Imitation of Spencer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
most important element
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
plural of “navy” — an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
order by virtue of superior authority; decree
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
the head of the Roman Catholic Church
From this reading POPE, Homer's Iliad.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
a person who rules or commands
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
the act of perceiving the odor of something
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)
From this reading POPE, Imitation of Spencer.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading These did the ruler of the deep ordain, To build proud navies and to rule the main.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such scenes has Deptford, navy-building town, Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch; Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, And Twickenham such, which fairer scenes enrich.
Chapter 1 of The Borough by George Crabbe holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 71 sentences of The Borough, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Borough by George Crabbe exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Borough by George Crabbe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1533 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5210 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5210, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 127 minutes of reading across 307 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Borough section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Borough 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 Borough, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
