Chapter 1 of The Last Gentleman is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Last Gentleman is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[Sidenote: _No one knew, no one cared. For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed. He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall. His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him. Myra opened her eyes.
Chapter 1 of The Last Gentleman is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading “He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.”
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading “For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.”
a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
From this reading “For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.”
-ing form of “overcome” — win a victory over
From this reading “For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.”
plural of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.”
(theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
From this reading “For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.”
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading “His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.”
in a stupid manner
From this reading “He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.”
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 “His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.”
In this reading “For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.”
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 For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
next to; at the side of
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading [Sidenote: _No one knew, no one cared.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Myra opened her eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Myra opened her eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
and nothing more
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading [Sidenote: _No one knew, no one cared.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
not any; not one
From this reading [Sidenote: _No one knew, no one cared.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading [Sidenote: _No one knew, no one cared.
and nothing more
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Myra opened her eyes.
-ing form of “overcome” — win a victory over
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
plural of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
(theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _No one knew, no one cared.
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
in a stupid manner
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
a vivid mental image
From this reading His vision cleared and he looked down at Myra, just stirring beside him.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading He sat there, leaning back on the heels of his hands, blinking stupidly at the wall.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a great lethargy was overcoming the people and their only salvation was--_] The explosion brought Jim Peters upright in bed.
Chapter 1 of The Last Gentleman by Rory Magill holds 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 288 sentences of The Last Gentleman, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Last Gentleman by Rory Magill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Last Gentleman by Rory Magill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32655 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32655, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 24 minutes of reading across 58 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Gentleman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Last Gentleman 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 Last Gentleman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
