Chapter 1 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up. His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad. The lad was of age; he might think for himself. In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage. Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
Chapter 1 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 15/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 71–75
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.
Celtic god of love and beauty; patron deity of young men and women
From this reading “In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.”
not fit to assume responsibility
From this reading “Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.””
beyond belief or understanding
From this reading “The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.”
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.”
a boy or man
From this reading “The lad was of age; he might think for himself.”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.”
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
how long something has existed
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
Celtic god of love and beauty; patron deity of young men and women
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
not fit to assume responsibility
From this reading Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
beyond belief or understanding
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
a boy or man
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading In his secret heart Angus liked the lad's courage.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading His father said nothing about his son's intentions, good or bad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The lad was of age; he might think for himself.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The extraordinary proposal seemed incredible; but Ralph's mind was made up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph was “nane o' yer feckless fowk.”
Chapter 1 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine holds 234 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 234 sentences of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #14262, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1616 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
