Chapter 1 of The Queen Against Owen is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Queen Against Owen is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE QUEEN AGAINST OWEN. 'An unmistakable success. Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic. It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling. Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
Chapter 1 of The Queen Against Owen is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
force somebody to do something
From this reading “It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.”
suitable to or characteristic of drama
From this reading “Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.”
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading “Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.”
Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)
From this reading “THE QUEEN AGAINST OWEN.”
consisting of or derived from tradition
From this reading “Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.”
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading “'An unmistakable success.”
freed from any question of guilt
From this reading “Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.”
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.
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 Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading THE QUEEN AGAINST OWEN.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading 'An unmistakable success.
any thing at all
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
with boldness, in a bold manner
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
force somebody to do something
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
well in the past; former
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
suitable to or characteristic of drama
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
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 Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)
From this reading THE QUEEN AGAINST OWEN.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading THE QUEEN AGAINST OWEN.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
and nothing more
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading 'An unmistakable success.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE QUEEN AGAINST OWEN.
consisting of or derived from tradition
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading 'An unmistakable success.
freed from any question of guilt
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
during the time that
From this reading Regarded simply as a story, we have not for a long while read anything more intensely dramatic.
which person or people
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would compel notice for the mere manner of its telling.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Not often has an author who has boldly departed from the traditional lines of the writer of fiction so completely vindicated his method.
Chapter 1 of The Queen Against Owen by Allen Upward holds 33 sentences, grouped into 7 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 33 sentences of The Queen Against Owen, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Queen Against Owen by Allen Upward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 33 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 Queen Against Owen by Allen Upward on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2755 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30910 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30910, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 229 minutes of reading across 551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Queen Against Owen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Queen Against Owen 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 Queen Against Owen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
