Chapter 1 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
You are fond of the country, aren't you? And of course the place is very pretty. There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things? We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves. Don't you think so, Bertha?"
Chapter 1 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 4/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20
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 act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading “There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?”
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “You are fond of the country, aren't you?”
a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes
From this reading “There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?”
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading “We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.”
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading “We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.”
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading “We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.”
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading “We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.”
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court
From this reading “There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And of course the place is very pretty.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't you think so, Bertha?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading And of course the place is very pretty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And of course the place is very pretty.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
by chance
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading And of course the place is very pretty.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading And of course the place is very pretty.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Don't you think so, Bertha?"
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Don't you think so, Bertha?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
precisely as stated
From this reading And of course the place is very pretty.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You are fond of the country, aren't you?
Chapter 1 of The Half-Hearted by John Buchan holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 236 sentences of The Half-Hearted, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Half-Hearted by John Buchan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Half-Hearted by John Buchan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5873 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17047, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 489 minutes of reading across 1175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Half-Hearted section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Half-Hearted 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 Half-Hearted, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
