Chapter 1 of The Feather is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Feather is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL. A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES. STORIES FROM FAIRYLAND. TALES FROM THE MABINOGION. THE STORY OF A PUPPET.
Chapter 1 of The Feather is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.”
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.”
something existing solely in the imagination (but often mistaken for reality)
From this reading “STORIES FROM FAIRYLAND.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “_THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.”
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “_THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.”
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading “THE STORY OF A PUPPET.”
plural of “story” — 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 “A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.”
plural of “tale” — 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 “TALES FROM THE MABINOGION.”
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.
In this reading “A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.”
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 A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading _THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.
something existing solely in the imagination (but often mistaken for reality)
From this reading STORIES FROM FAIRYLAND.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading STORIES FROM FAIRYLAND.
a room where books are kept
From this reading _THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TALES FROM THE MABINOGION.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE STORY OF A PUPPET.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading _THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading THE STORY OF A PUPPET.
plural of “story” — 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 A CHINA CUP, AND OTHER STORIES.
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 A PUPPET.
plural of “tale” — 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 TALES FROM THE MABINOGION.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY._ THE BROWN OWL.
Chapter 1 of The Feather by Ford Madox Ford holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of The Feather, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Feather by Ford Madox Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Feather by Ford Madox Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2038 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50658 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50658, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 169 minutes of reading across 408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Feather section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Feather 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 Feather, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
