Chapter 1 of The Dragon Painter is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Dragon Painter is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc. The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's." It has since been practically rewritten. "Another step, and she was in the room" .
Chapter 1 of The Dragon Painter is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
possessive form of “collier” — someone who works in a coal mine
From this reading “The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."”
on or starting from the wearer's right
From this reading “Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.”
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading “The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."”
in an original manner
From this reading “The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."”
an artist who paints
From this reading “The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."”
almost; nearly
From this reading “It has since been practically rewritten.”
inflected form of “rewrite” — write differently; alter the writing of
From this reading “It has since been practically rewritten.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."”
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 Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Another step, and she was in the room" .
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Another step, and she was in the room" .
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It has since been practically rewritten.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
possessive form of “collier” — someone who works in a coal mine
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
on or starting from the wearer's right
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has since been practically rewritten.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has since been practically rewritten.
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
in an original manner
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
an artist who paints
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
almost; nearly
From this reading It has since been practically rewritten.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
inflected form of “rewrite” — write differently; alter the writing of
From this reading It has since been practically rewritten.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Another step, and she was in the room" .
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Another step, and she was in the room" .
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
from a time in the past until now
From this reading It has since been practically rewritten.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading "Another step, and she was in the room" .
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 The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form
From this reading Author of "Truth Dexter," "The Breath of the Gods," "Out of the Nest: A Flight of Verses," etc.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The story of "The Dragon Painter," in a shorter form, was originally published in "Collier's."
Chapter 1 of The Dragon Painter by Sidney McCall holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Dragon Painter, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Dragon Painter by Sidney McCall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Dragon Painter by Sidney McCall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2856 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22884 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22884, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 238 minutes of reading across 572 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dragon Painter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Dragon Painter 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 Dragon Painter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
