Chapter 1 of The Secret of the Tower is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Secret of the Tower is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC. "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd. "Two days before the--the ceremony! Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed. I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
Chapter 1 of The Secret of the Tower is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.”
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading “"Two days before the--the ceremony!”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “I forget whether you ever met Gilly?”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.”
in a compassionate manner
From this reading “Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.”
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.”
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
for the reason that
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Two days before the--the ceremony!
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading "Two days before the--the ceremony!
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "Two days before the--the ceremony!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
at any time
From this reading I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
and nothing more
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
in a compassionate manner
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
and nothing more
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
English leader (born in Germany) of the Royalist forces during the English Civil War (1619-1682)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Two days before the--the ceremony!
precisely as stated
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mercifully it had all been kept very quiet, because it was only three months since poor Gilly was killed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Just in time, wasn't it?" asked Mary Arkroyd.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I forget whether you ever met Gilly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA," "RUPERT OF HENTZAU," ETC.
Chapter 1 of The Secret of the Tower by Anthony Hope holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 193 sentences of The Secret of the Tower, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Secret of the Tower by Anthony Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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.
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How to work through The Secret of the Tower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Secret of the Tower 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 Secret of the Tower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
