Chapter 1 of The Free Lances is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Free Lances is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid. CHAPTER ONE. VOLUNTEERS FOR TEXAS. "I'll go!" This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
Chapter 1 of The Free Lances is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “CHAPTER ONE.”
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.”
a formal reception of visitors or guests (as at a royal court)
From this reading “This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.”
a city on the Loire river in north central France; site of the siege of Orleans by the English (1428-1429)
From this reading “This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.”
Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)
From this reading “The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.”
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading “VOLUNTEERS FOR TEXAS.”
plural of “volunteer” — (military) a person who freely enlists for service
From this reading “VOLUNTEERS FOR TEXAS.”
close enough to be walked to
From this reading “This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.”
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 This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading VOLUNTEERS FOR TEXAS.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I'll go!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll go!"
terseness of expression
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
a formal reception of visitors or guests (as at a royal court)
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading CHAPTER ONE.
a city on the Loire river in north central France; site of the siege of Orleans by the English (1428-1429)
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading VOLUNTEERS FOR TEXAS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Free Lances, by Captain Mayne Reid.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
plural of “volunteer” — (military) a person who freely enlists for service
From this reading VOLUNTEERS FOR TEXAS.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
which person or people
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading This laconism came from the lips of a young man who was walking along the Levee of New Orleans.
Chapter 1 of The Free Lances by Mayne Reid holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of The Free Lances, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Free Lances by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Free Lances by Mayne Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27996 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27996, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 407 minutes of reading across 977 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Free Lances section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Free Lances 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 Free Lances, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
