Chapter 1 of The Rake's Progress is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Rake's Progress is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC. ETC. "You ask me about Rose--what can I say? Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity! My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
Chapter 1 of The Rake's Progress is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading “My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.”
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading “My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.”
the capital of Lombardy in northern Italy; has been an international center of trade and industry since the Middle Ages
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.”
plural of “production” — the act or process of producing something
From this reading “My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.”
plural of “refuse” — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
From this reading “My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.”
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.”
plural of “talent” — natural abilities or qualities
From this reading “Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!”
venomous Old World snakes characterized by hollow venom-conducting fangs in the upper jaw
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.”
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 My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
react verbally
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
the literary culture
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
the capital of Lombardy in northern Italy; has been an international center of trade and industry since the Middle Ages
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
plural of “production” — the act or process of producing something
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
plural of “refuse” — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
express the need or desire for
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
express in words
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
plural of “talent” — natural abilities or qualities
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
venomous Old World snakes characterized by hollow venom-conducting fangs in the upper jaw
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE VIPER OF MILAN," ETC.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
at the time that
From this reading My letters at best are feeble productions, and when I have a deliberate request to answer I swear my pen refuses its duty.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You ask me about Rose--what can I say?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Alas, that my talents should not be equal to your curiosity!
Chapter 1 of The Rake's Progress by Marjorie Bowen holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 289 sentences of The Rake's Progress, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Rake's Progress by Marjorie Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Rake's Progress by Marjorie Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48200 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48200, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 538 minutes of reading across 1294 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rake's Progress section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Rake's Progress 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 Rake's Progress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
