Chapter 1 of The poisoned paradise is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The poisoned paradise is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC. First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room. The mother watched him from her pillow. “What are you doing, dear?” “Drawing, Mother Lovely.”
Chapter 1 of The poisoned paradise is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.”
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading “First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “The mother watched him from her pillow.”
a claimant to the throne or to the office of ruler (usually without just title)
From this reading “BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.”
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading “First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.”
plural of “rhyme” — correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
From this reading “BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.”
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.
In this reading “BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.”
In this reading “First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What are you doing, dear?”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
a youthful male person
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
dearly loved
From this reading “What are you doing, dear?”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “What are you doing, dear?”
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “Drawing, Mother Lovely.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The mother watched him from her pillow.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The mother watched him from her pillow.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The mother watched him from her pillow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading “Drawing, Mother Lovely.”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The mother watched him from her pillow.
being eight more than ninety
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading The mother watched him from her pillow.
a claimant to the throne or to the office of ruler (usually without just title)
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
text handwritten in the style of printed matter
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
plural of “rhyme” — correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
uttered with a trill
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading BY ROBERT W. SERVICE AUTHOR OF “THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT,” “RHYMES OF A ROLLING STONE,” “THE PRETENDER,” ETC.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading First Printing, Oct., 1922 Second Printing, Nov., 1922 Third Printing, Jan., 1923 The boy was sitting in a corner of the shabby room.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading The mother watched him from her pillow.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What are you doing, dear?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What are you doing, dear?”
Chapter 1 of The poisoned paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Service holds 401 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 401 sentences of The poisoned paradise, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The poisoned paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Service exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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 poisoned paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Service 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 poisoned paradise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The poisoned paradise 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 poisoned paradise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
