Chapter 1 of The Datchet Diamonds is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Datchet Diamonds is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC. UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON. The band struck up a waltz. It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome. How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
Chapter 1 of The Datchet Diamonds is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.”
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading “It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.”
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.”
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading “It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.”
a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward
From this reading “It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.”
English financier (1519-1579)
From this reading “UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.”
an assured victory (especially in an election)
From this reading “The band struck up a waltz.”
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.
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 The band struck up a waltz.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading The band struck up a waltz.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
English financier (1519-1579)
From this reading UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
immediately past
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The band struck up a waltz.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL," "PHILIP BENNION'S DEATH," "THE BEETLE," ETC., ETC.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The band struck up a waltz.
an assured victory (especially in an election)
From this reading The band struck up a waltz.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading How well he had danced, and how guilty she had felt!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It chanced to be the one which they had last danced together at the Dome.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
Chapter 1 of The Datchet Diamonds by Richard Marsh holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 200 sentences of The Datchet Diamonds, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Datchet Diamonds by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Datchet Diamonds by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3694 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40353 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40353, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 307 minutes of reading across 739 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Datchet Diamonds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Datchet Diamonds 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 Datchet Diamonds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
