Chapter 1 of The Plunderer is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Plunderer is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC. Roger Payne had come to a decision. He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner: "Jim Tibbetts!" Tibbetts frowned.
Chapter 1 of The Plunderer is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an apparatus for burning fuel (or refuse)
From this reading “BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “Roger Payne had come to a decision.”
-ing form of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction
From this reading “He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Tibbetts frowned.”
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading “He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:”
in a reckless manner
From this reading “He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:”
someone skilled in the transcription of speech (especially dictation)
From this reading “He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:”
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 Roger Payne had come to a decision.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
an apparatus for burning fuel (or refuse)
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Roger Payne had come to a decision.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading Roger Payne had come to a decision.
-ing form of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
having a flat or flattened upper surface
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Tibbetts frowned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Roger Payne had come to a decision.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jim Tibbetts!"
staying power
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger Payne had come to a decision.
in a reckless manner
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger Payne had come to a decision.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
in a vehement outcry
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
someone skilled in the transcription of speech (especially dictation)
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BIG FLAT, GASTON OLAF, THE SNOW BURNER, ETC.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jim Tibbetts!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Roger Payne had come to a decision.
up to a particular time
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He waited until the office door had closed behind the departing stenographer, then swung his long legs recklessly upon his flat-top desk and shouted across the room at his partner:
Chapter 1 of The Plunderer by Henry Oyen holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Plunderer, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Plunderer by Henry Oyen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Plunderer by Henry Oyen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19401 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19401, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Plunderer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Plunderer 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 Plunderer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
