Chapter 1 of The passionate pitchman is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The passionate pitchman is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement. Miss Laara was fascinating. So were her methods. They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown. Then the Syndicate moved in.
Chapter 1 of The passionate pitchman is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “Miss Laara was fascinating.”
not liable to failure
From this reading “_Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.”
dazzlingly beautiful
From this reading “_Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.”
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading “They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.”
plural of “inhibition” — (psychology) the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires
From this reading “They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.”
the act of getting possession of something
From this reading “_Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.”
a man salesperson
From this reading “_Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.”
a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities
From this reading “Then the Syndicate moved in.”
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.
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene
In this reading “_Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.”
In this reading “They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.”
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 They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading Miss Laara was fascinating.
not liable to failure
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
dazzlingly beautiful
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then the Syndicate moved in.
plural of “inhibition” — (psychology) the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
and nothing more
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
plural of “method” — a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading So were her methods.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Then the Syndicate moved in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
the act of getting possession of something
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
a man salesperson
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So were her methods.
a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities
From this reading Then the Syndicate moved in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the Syndicate moved in.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
not known
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
up to a particular time
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So were her methods.
in or at the place that
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Hector was just another salesman until the gorgeous Miss Laara came along with her Foolproof Method of Procurement.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading They introduced Hector into a world where inhibitions were unknown.
Chapter 1 of The passionate pitchman by Stephen Marlowe holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The passionate pitchman, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The passionate pitchman by Stephen Marlowe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 passionate pitchman by Stephen Marlowe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The passionate pitchman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The passionate pitchman 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 passionate pitchman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
