Chapter 1 of The Greatest Plague of Life is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Greatest Plague of Life is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT. ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.” EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW. Illustrated by George Cruikshank. LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
Chapter 1 of The Greatest Plague of Life is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.”
improved or corrected by critical editing
From this reading “EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.”
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading “LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “Illustrated by George Cruikshank.”
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading “ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.””
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 “Illustrated by George Cruikshank.”
In this reading “IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Illustrated by George Cruikshank.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
improved or corrected by critical editing
From this reading EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Illustrated by George Cruikshank.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading Illustrated by George Cruikshank.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading IN SEARCH OF A GOOD SERVANT.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading EDITED BY THE BROTHERS MAYHEW.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
which person or people
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading ONE WHO HAS BEEN “ALMOST WORRIED TO DEATH.”
Chapter 1 of The Greatest Plague of Life by Augustus Mayhew holds 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 173 sentences of The Greatest Plague of Life, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Greatest Plague of Life by Augustus Mayhew exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Greatest Plague of Life by Augustus Mayhew on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2503 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60562 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60562, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Greatest Plague of Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Greatest Plague of Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
