Chapter 1 of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor." From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour. "Ten-thirty!" I said. "A late visitor.
Chapter 1 of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading “From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.”
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading “From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."”
a man of refinement
From this reading “"A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."”
a half of an hour
From this reading “From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “"A late visitor.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.”
someone who visits
From this reading “"A late visitor.”
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 GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."
from one side of something to the other
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
a man of refinement
From this reading "A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."
a half of an hour
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "A late visitor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ten-thirty!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From across the common a clock sounded the half-hour.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."
someone who visits
From this reading "A late visitor.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "A GENTLEMAN to see you, Doctor."
Chapter 1 of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5373 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #173 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #173, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 447 minutes of reading across 1075 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu 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 Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
