Chapter 1 of The Perfectionists is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Perfectionists is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Is there something wrong with you? Do you fail to fit in with your group? Nervous, anxious, ill-at-ease? Happy about it? Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
Chapter 1 of The Perfectionists is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
the central area or commercial center of a town or city
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
plural of “liquor” — an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
occurring by chance
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
easily agitated
From this reading “Nervous, anxious, ill-at-ease?”
the smaller and straight-legged variety of corgi having pointed ears and a short tail
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Happy about it?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Nervous, anxious, ill-at-ease?
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
the central area or commercial center of a town or city
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Happy about it?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nervous, anxious, ill-at-ease?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Is there something wrong with you?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Happy about it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
plural of “liquor” — an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
occurring by chance
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
easily agitated
From this reading Nervous, anxious, ill-at-ease?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
above and across; more than
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
the smaller and straight-legged variety of corgi having pointed ears and a short tail
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading _Is there something wrong with you?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Is there something wrong with you?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Lucky you!_ Frank Pembroke sat behind the desk of his shabby little office over Lemark's Liquors in downtown Los Angeles and waited for his first customer.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Is there something wrong with you?
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading _Is there something wrong with you?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Is there something wrong with you?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Do you fail to fit in with your group?
Chapter 1 of The Perfectionists by Arnold Castle holds 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 453 sentences of The Perfectionists, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Perfectionists by Arnold Castle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Perfectionists by Arnold Castle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 453 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24977 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24977, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 37 minutes of reading across 91 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Perfectionists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Perfectionists 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 Perfectionists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
