Chapter 1 of The Poison Tree is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Poison Tree is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NAGENDRA'S JOURNEY BY BOAT. Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat. It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms. His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore. Do not remain in the boat."
Chapter 1 of The Poison Tree is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
third-person singular of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading “His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.”
cause to be firmly attached
From this reading “His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.”
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading “It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.”
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading “His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.”
plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
From this reading “It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.”
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 His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
third-person singular of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading NAGENDRA'S JOURNEY BY BOAT.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading NAGENDRA'S JOURNEY BY BOAT.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do not remain in the boat."
cause to be firmly attached
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Do not remain in the boat."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading NAGENDRA'S JOURNEY BY BOAT.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NAGENDRA'S JOURNEY BY BOAT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Do not remain in the boat."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Do not remain in the boat."
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
plural of “storm” — a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the Beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It is the month _Joisto_ (May--June), the time of storms.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Nagendra Natha Datta is about to travel by boat.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading His wife, Surja Mukhi, had adjured him, saying, "Be careful; if a storm arises be sure you fasten the boat to the shore.
Chapter 1 of The Poison Tree by Bankimacandra Cattopadhyaya holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 90 sentences of The Poison Tree, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Poison Tree by Bankimacandra Cattopadhyaya exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Poison Tree by Bankimacandra Cattopadhyaya on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3130 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17455 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17455, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poison Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Poison Tree 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 Poison Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
