Chapter 1 of The Secret Power is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Secret Power is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence. "Why did you run away from me?" He replied at once, and brusquely. "Because I was tired of you!" She laughed again.
Chapter 1 of The Secret Power is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading “He replied at once, and brusquely.”
rid of obstructions
From this reading “A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.”
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading “A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “She laughed again.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “"Why did you run away from me?"”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “"Because I was tired of you!"”
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 laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
anew
From this reading She laughed again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He replied at once, and brusquely.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
for the reason that
From this reading "Because I was tired of you!"
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading He replied at once, and brusquely.
rid of obstructions
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He replied at once, and brusquely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Because I was tired of you!"
the sound of laughing
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading She laughed again.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Because I was tired of you!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
on one occasion
From this reading He replied at once, and brusquely.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading He replied at once, and brusquely.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She laughed again.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A laugh, clear and cold as a sleigh-bell on a frosty night rang out on the silence.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading "Because I was tired of you!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Because I was tired of you!"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why did you run away from me?"
Chapter 1 of The Secret Power by Marie Corelli holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 231 sentences of The Secret Power, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Secret Power by Marie Corelli exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Secret Power by Marie Corelli on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4860 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3831 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3831, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Power section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Secret Power 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 Power, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
