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The Devil
The Devil

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Devil is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Devil
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.
It is one that will impress with its power.
But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.
The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.
But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Devil

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Devil is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.
Line 2
It is one that will impress with its power.
/ɪt ɪz wʌn ðæt wɪl ˌɪmˈpres wɪð ɪts ˈpaʊər/
Line 3
But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.
/bʌt aɪ æm ɡlæd tuː seɪ ðæt aɪ duː nɑːt bɪˈliːv ˈfʊli ɪn ɪts truːθ/
Line 4
The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.
/ðə ˈdevəl hiːr wɪnz hɪz ˈvɪktəri æz hiː hæz wʌn ˈmeni/
Line 5
But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.
/bʌt iːtʃ jɪr æz men ənd ˈwɪmən ɡet ˈbetər ðə ˈvɪktəriz ʌv ˈseɪtən ɑːr ˈfjuːər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

fewer adjective US /ˈfjuːər/

(comparative of “few” used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of

From this reading “But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.”

impress verb US /ˌɪmˈpres/

have an emotional or cognitive impact upon

From this reading “It is one that will impress with its power.”

Joseph noun US /ˈdʒoʊsəf/

leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)

From this reading “_Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.”

lesson noun US /ˈlesən/

a unit of instruction

From this reading “_Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.”

O'Brien noun US /oʊˈbraɪɪn/

Irish writer (born in 1932)

From this reading “_Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.”

Satan noun US /ˈseɪtən/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading “But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.”

victories noun US /ˈvɪktəriz/

plural of “victory” — a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading “But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.”

wins noun US /wɪnz/

plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)

From this reading “The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

DevilnounUS /ˈdevəl/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

feweradjectiveUS /ˈfjuːər/

(comparative of “few” used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

fullyadverbUS /ˈfʊli/

to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

HenrynounUS /ˈhenri/

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

impressverbUS /ˌɪmˈpres/

have an emotional or cognitive impact upon

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

JosephnounUS /ˈdʒoʊsəf/

leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

lessonnounUS /ˈlesən/

a unit of instruction

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

Novelized

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

O'BriennounUS /oʊˈbraɪɪn/

Irish writer (born in 1932)

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

SatannounUS /ˈseɪtən/

(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

Savage's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

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 _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading But I am glad to say that I do not believe fully in its truth.

victoriesnounUS /ˈvɪktəriz/

plural of “victory” — a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

victorynounUS /ˈvɪktəri/

a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

WnounUS /ˈdʌbəljuː/

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 _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

winsnounUS /wɪnz/

plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It is one that will impress with its power.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

wonnounUS /wʌn/

the basic unit of money in South Korea

From this reading The Devil here wins his victory, as he has won many.

wonderfuladjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərfəl/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

From this reading _Novelized by Joseph O'Brien from Henry W. Savage's great play_ There is a great lesson for all women and men in this wonderful story.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading But each year, as men and women get better, the victories of Satan are fewer.

Chapter 1 of The Devil by Joseph O'Brien holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Devil contain?

Chapter 1 holds 138 sentences of The Devil, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Devil by Joseph O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Devil?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Devil

Common questions about reading The Devil by Joseph O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Devil?

Yes. All 2553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25947 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Devil is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #25947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Devil take to read?

About 212 minutes of reading across 511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Devil section by section

How to work through The Devil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Devil to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Devil

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Devil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Novelized
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Joseph
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
O'brien
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Henry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.