Chapter 1 of The frozen deep is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The frozen deep is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The date is between twenty and thirty years ago. The place is an English sea-port. The time is night. And the business of the moment is--dancing. The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
Chapter 1 of The frozen deep is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
the regions to the north of the Arctic Circle centered on the North Pole
From this reading “The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.”
a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
From this reading “The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.”
a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
From this reading “The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.”
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading “And the business of the moment is--dancing.”
the specified day of the month
From this reading “The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.”
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading “The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.”
the head of a city government
From this reading “The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.”
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading “The place is an English sea-port.”
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 Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
in the past
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The place is an English sea-port.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
the regions to the north of the Arctic Circle centered on the North Pole
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading And the business of the moment is--dancing.
a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading And the business of the moment is--dancing.
the specified day of the month
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
the act of departing
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading The place is an English sea-port.
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
the act of giving
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
the head of a city government
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
a particular point in time
From this reading And the business of the moment is--dancing.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The time is night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the business of the moment is--dancing.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The place is an English sea-port.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The place is an English sea-port.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The time is night.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The Mayor and Corporation of the town are giving a grand ball, in celebration of the departure of an Arctic expedition from their port.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
a late time of life
From this reading The date is between twenty and thirty years ago.
Chapter 1 of The frozen deep by Wilkie Collins holds 152 sentences, grouped into 31 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 152 sentences of The frozen deep, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The frozen deep by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 frozen deep by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1625 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1625, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 465 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The frozen deep section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The frozen deep 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 frozen deep, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
