Chapter 1 of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An Imperial Banquet. A Philosophical Discussion. The Mysterious Stranger. Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”. It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
Chapter 1 of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries
From this reading “It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.”
a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading “An Imperial Banquet.”
plural of “briton” — a native or inhabitant of Great Britain
From this reading “Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.”
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
From this reading “A Philosophical Discussion.”
relating to or associated with an empire
From this reading “An Imperial Banquet.”
out of fashion
From this reading “It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.”
of or relating to philosophy or philosophers
From this reading “A Philosophical Discussion.”
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading “It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.”
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 A Philosophical Discussion.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Imperial Banquet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading An Imperial Banquet.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
plural of “briton” — a native or inhabitant of Great Britain
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
From this reading A Philosophical Discussion.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
relating to or associated with an empire
From this reading An Imperial Banquet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
of an obscure nature
From this reading The Mysterious Stranger.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
out of fashion
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
of or relating to philosophy or philosophers
From this reading A Philosophical Discussion.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
having a supporting base
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading The Mysterious Stranger.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Mysterious Stranger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading It was a large old-fashioned three-storied building standing in about an acre of ground, and situated about a mile outside the town of Mugsborough.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Britons Never shall be Slaves The house was named “The Cave”.
Chapter 1 of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell holds 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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 371 sentences of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11033 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3608, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2207 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists 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 Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
