Chapter 1 of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Curtain. ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day. On the raised dais MRS. MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets. Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.
Chapter 1 of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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 “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading “MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.”
being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor
From this reading “MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.”
a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it
From this reading “On the raised dais MRS.”
an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
From this reading “Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.”
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading “Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.”
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading “MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.”
plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.”
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.”
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 MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
plural of “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
completely unclothed
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.
being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading Curtain.
a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it
From this reading On the raised dais MRS.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
From this reading Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.
the act of retaining something
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading On the raised dais MRS.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
according to the clock
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the raised dais MRS.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading On the raised dais MRS.
having a supporting base
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before his easel, WELLWYN is painting her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading MEGAN is standing, in her rags; with bare feet and ankles, her dark hair as if blown about, her lips parted, holding out a dishevelled bunch of violets.
possessive form of “year” — a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading ACT II It is four o'clock in the afternoon of New Year's Day.
Chapter 1 of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy holds 317 sentences, grouped into 64 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 317 sentences of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 317 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 941 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2913, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 78 minutes of reading across 189 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts 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 Pigeon: A Fantasy in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
