Chapter 1 of The Man with the Clubfoot is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Man with the Clubfoot is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly. "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house." And he closed the book with a snap. Outside the rain came down heavens hard. Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
Chapter 1 of The Man with the Clubfoot is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
with brightness
From this reading “Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.”
gush forth in a sudden stream or jet
From this reading “Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “Outside the rain came down heavens hard.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.”
the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading “The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.”
record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
From this reading “The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.”
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “And he closed the book with a snap.”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.”
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 "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading And he closed the book with a snap.
with brightness
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Outside the rain came down heavens hard.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading And he closed the book with a snap.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Outside the rain came down heavens hard.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
with resolute determination
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
gush forth in a sudden stream or jet
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Outside the rain came down heavens hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Outside the rain came down heavens hard.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
provided with artificial light
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Outside the rain came down heavens hard.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Outside the rain came down heavens hard.
the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading And he closed the book with a snap.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The reception clerk looked up from the hotel register and shook his head firmly.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
which person or people
From this reading Every one who came into the brightly lit hotel vestibule entered with a gush of water.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And he closed the book with a snap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Very sorry, saire," he said, "not a bed in ze house."
Chapter 1 of The Man with the Clubfoot by Valentine Williams holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 78 sentences of The Man with the Clubfoot, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Man with the Clubfoot by Valentine Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Man with the Clubfoot by Valentine Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15302 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15302, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 373 minutes of reading across 896 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man with the Clubfoot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Man with the Clubfoot 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 Man with the Clubfoot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
