Chapter 1 of The Parson O' Dumford is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Parson O' Dumford is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Volume 1, Chapter I. PLEASANT RECEPTIONS. "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man. I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?" "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
Chapter 1 of The Parson O' Dumford is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading “"I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.”
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading “"And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading “Volume 1, Chapter I.”
boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
From this reading “"And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.”
plural of “reception” — the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading “PLEASANT RECEPTIONS.”
inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
From this reading “"And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.”
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading “I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"”
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading “Volume 1, Chapter I.”
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 “I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"”
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 Volume 1, Chapter I.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
From this reading "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading Volume 1, Chapter I.
boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
From this reading "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Volume 1, Chapter I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading PLEASANT RECEPTIONS.
plural of “reception” — the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading PLEASANT RECEPTIONS.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
From this reading "And I said axe, or arks, as you call it, my man," was the surly, defiant reply.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading I said, Is that Dumford, down there in the valley?"
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading Volume 1, Chapter I.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I was asking, or axing, as you call it, my man.
Chapter 1 of The Parson O' Dumford by George Manville Fenn holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Parson O' Dumford, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Parson O' Dumford by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Parson O' Dumford by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7593 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34141 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34141, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1519 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Parson O' Dumford section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Parson O' Dumford 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 Parson O' Dumford, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
