Chapter 1 of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor. I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment. “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.” “What--a woman or something?” “Some affair of that sort.
Chapter 1 of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 vaguely specified concern
From this reading ““Some affair of that sort.”
someone who communicates by means of letters
From this reading ““Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.””
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.”
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading “I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading ““When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.”
having turned bad
From this reading ““Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.””
a tube running from the liquid in a vessel to a lower level outside the vessel so that gravity forces the liquid through the tube
From this reading “I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.”
someone who visits
From this reading ““When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.”
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 I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “Some affair of that sort.
in the past
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
someone who communicates by means of letters
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
immediately past
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
a particular point in time
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Some affair of that sort.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “What--a woman or something?”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
on the contrary
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Some affair of that sort.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “What--a woman or something?”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “Some affair of that sort.
having turned bad
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
a tube running from the liquid in a vessel to a lower level outside the vessel so that gravity forces the liquid through the tube
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Some affair of that sort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I paused, my hand on the syphon, reflecting for a moment.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Two months ago,” I said; “he’s a poor correspondent and rather soured, I fancy.”
someone who visits
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What--a woman or something?”
at the time that
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “What--a woman or something?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “When did you last hear from Nayland Smith?” asked my visitor.
Chapter 1 of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 159 sentences of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1183 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1183, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 337 minutes of reading across 811 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu 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 Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
