Chapter 1 of The Chequers is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Chequers is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_A LOAFER'S DIARY_. JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC. London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS. GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
Chapter 1 of The Chequers is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading “GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.”
written (by handwriting, printing, engraving, or carving) on or in a surface
From this reading “GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.”
for the most part
From this reading “GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.”
owed as a debt
From this reading “GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.”
plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure
From this reading “TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.”
plural of “skipper” — a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.”
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading “London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _A LOAFER'S DIARY_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading _A LOAFER'S DIARY_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
written (by handwriting, printing, engraving, or carving) on or in a surface
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _A LOAFER'S DIARY_.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
for the most part
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
owed as a debt
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure
From this reading TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
plural of “skipper” — a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading JAMES RUNCIMAN, AUTHOR OF "SKIPPERS AND SHELLBACKS," ETC.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading TO PHILIP WOOD AND JOHN WOOD, OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading GENTLEMEN,--This record of ruined lives is inscribed to you, for it is mainly owing to you that I have gained such gruesome experience.
Chapter 1 of The Chequers by James Runciman holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of The Chequers, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Chequers by James Runciman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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.
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Yes. All 2550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18510 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18510, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 212 minutes of reading across 510 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chequers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Chequers 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 Chequers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
