Chapter 1 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC. WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO. LTD. 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W. It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
Chapter 1 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.”
United States collector and patron of art who built a museum in Boston to house her collection and opened it to the public in 1903 (1840-1924)
From this reading “WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.”
plural of “redpoll” — small siskin-like finch with a red crown
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.”
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading “AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.”
not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception
From this reading “It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.”
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
From this reading “3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.”
prolific English writer best known for his science-fiction novels; he also wrote on contemporary social problems and wrote popular accounts of history and science (1866-1946)
From this reading “WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO.”
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 “It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
United States collector and patron of art who built a museum in Boston to house her collection and opened it to the public in 1903 (1840-1924)
From this reading WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LTD.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
(Roman Catholic Church) the Lord's Prayer in Latin; translates as “our father”
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
plural of “redpoll” — small siskin-like finch with a red crown
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF “THE CARROL GIRLS,” “TROUBLESOME URSULA,” “A PAIR OF REDPOLLS,” “KITTY TRENIRE,” ETC.
precisely as stated
From this reading It did seem very unjust, and the more they thought of it the more unjust it seemed, especially to Priscilla.
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading 3 & 4, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. AND 44, VICTORIA STREET, S.W.
prolific English writer best known for his science-fiction novels; he also wrote on contemporary social problems and wrote popular accounts of history and science (1866-1946)
From this reading WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO.
Chapter 1 of The Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 102 sentences of The Mean-Wells, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64258 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64258, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 177 minutes of reading across 427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mean-Wells section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Mean-Wells 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 Mean-Wells, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
