Chapter 1 of The Helpmate is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Helpmate is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was broad daylight outside. A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade. A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier. Anne recognised it as that of her husband. Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
Chapter 1 of The Helpmate is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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 event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading “A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “It was broad daylight outside.”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.”
a ceremonial procession including people marching
From this reading “A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.”
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading “A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “Anne recognised it as that of her husband.”
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading “Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.”
an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument
From this reading “Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.”
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 A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
anew
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading It was broad daylight outside.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading It was broad daylight outside.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was broad daylight outside.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was broad daylight outside.
above and across; more than
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
a ceremonial procession including people marching
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Anne recognised it as that of her husband.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A man was putting out the lights one by one along the cold little grey parade.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Both sights reminded her that her life had to be begun all over again, and to go on.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was broad daylight outside.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A figure, walking slowly, with down-bent head, was approaching the hotel from the pier.
Chapter 1 of The Helpmate by May Sinclair holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 216 sentences of The Helpmate, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Helpmate by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Helpmate by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9581 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17867, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Helpmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Helpmate 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 Helpmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
