Chapter 1 of The Mutable Many: A Novel is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Mutable Many: A Novel is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves? --CORIOLANUS. Where he should find you lions, finds you hares; Where foxes, geese. You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
Chapter 1 of The Mutable Many: A Novel is here in full — 13 sentences across 3 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/2 · 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.
praise somewhat dishonestly
From this reading ““For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?”
plural of “fox” — alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “Where foxes, geese.”
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading “Where foxes, geese.”
small pellet of ice that falls during a hailstorm
From this reading “You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.”
plural of “hare” — swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
From this reading “Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;”
plural of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading “Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;”
comparative of “sure” — having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.”
(formal) in or into that thing or place
From this reading ““For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?”
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 “You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.”
In this reading “You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
see with attention
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --CORIOLANUS.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
start firing a weapon
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
praise somewhat dishonestly
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
plural of “fox” — alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading Where foxes, geese.
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading Where foxes, geese.
small pellet of ice that falls during a hailstorm
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
plural of “hare” — swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
plural of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
not any; not one
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
comparative of “sure” — having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
(formal) in or into that thing or place
From this reading “For the imitable, rank-scented many, let them Regard me as I do not flatter, and Therein behold themselves?
a formal word for “on”
From this reading You are no surer, no, Than is the coal of fire upon the ice, Or hailstone in the sun.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
Chapter 1 of The Mutable Many: A Novel by Robert Barr holds 13 sentences, grouped into 3 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 13 sentences of The Mutable Many: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 3 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Mutable Many: A Novel by Robert Barr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 13 sentences, grouped into 3 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 3 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 3 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.
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Yes. All 7041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55326 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55326, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 586 minutes of reading across 1409 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mutable Many: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
