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The Heiress
The Heiress

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Heiress is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Heiress
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
By GENERAL BURGOYNE.
AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.
PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
WITH REMARKS BY MRS.
INCHBALD.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Heiress

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Heiress is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
By GENERAL BURGOYNE.
/baɪ ˈdʒenərəl bərˈɡɔɪn/
Line 2
AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.
Line 3
PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.
/ˈprɪntɪd ˈʌndər ðə əˈθɔːrəti ʌv ðə ˈmænədʒərz frʌm ðə prɑːmpt bʊk/
Line 4
WITH REMARKS BY MRS.
/wɪð rɪˈmɑːrks baɪ ˈmɪsɪz/
Line 5
INCHBALD.

Learner Dictionary

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.

burgoyne noun US /bərˈɡɔɪn/

British general in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga but lost the battle of Saratoga in 1777 (1722-1792)

From this reading “By GENERAL BURGOYNE.”

lane noun US /leɪn/

a narrow way or road

From this reading “AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.”

managers noun US /ˈmænədʒərz/

plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures

From this reading “PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.”

performed verb US /pərˈfɔːrmd/

past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action

From this reading “AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.”

printed verb US /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading “PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.”

prompt verb US /prɑːmpt/

give an incentive for action

From this reading “PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.”

remarks noun US /rɪˈmɑːrks/

plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information

From this reading “WITH REMARKS BY MRS.”

theatre noun US /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading “AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

AT THE THEATRE preposition + article + noun counted as “at … theatre”

In this reading “AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.”

All words in this reading · 23

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.

ASconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

AUTHORITYnounUS /əˈθɔːrəti/

the power or right to give orders or make decisions

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

BOOKnounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

BURGOYNEnounUS /bərˈɡɔɪn/

British general in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga but lost the battle of Saratoga in 1777 (1722-1792)

From this reading By GENERAL BURGOYNE.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By GENERAL BURGOYNE.

DRURY

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

GENERALadjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading By GENERAL BURGOYNE.

INCHBALD

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading INCHBALD.

LANEnounUS /leɪn/

a narrow way or road

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

MANAGERSnounUS /ˈmænədʒərz/

plural of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

MRSnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading WITH REMARKS BY MRS.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

PERFORMEDverbUS /pərˈfɔːrmd/

past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

PRINTEDverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

PROMPTverbUS /prɑːmpt/

give an incentive for action

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

REMARKSnounUS /rɪˈmɑːrks/

plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information

From this reading WITH REMARKS BY MRS.

ROYALadjectiveUS /ˈrɔɪəl/

of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

THEATREnounUS /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

UNDERprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading WITH REMARKS BY MRS.

Chapter 1 of The Heiress by John Burgoyne holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Heiress contain?

Chapter 1 holds 425 sentences of The Heiress, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Heiress by John Burgoyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Heiress?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Heiress

Common questions about reading The Heiress by John Burgoyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Heiress?

Yes. All 1199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36570 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Heiress is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36570, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Heiress take to read?

About 99 minutes of reading across 240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Heiress section by section

How to work through The Heiress section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Heiress to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Heiress

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Heiress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

General
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heiress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Burgoyne
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heiress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Performed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heiress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Theatre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Heiress; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.