Chapter 1 of The shrine is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The shrine is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Naito smiled. "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair. Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny." _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours. And in the mountains....
Chapter 1 of The shrine is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953)
From this reading “"You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.”
think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
ludicrously odd
From this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “"You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.”
something you have to do
From this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
From this reading “Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
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.
In this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
In this reading “_We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.”
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 Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953)
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
ludicrously odd
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
the act of grasping
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading And in the mountains....
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naito smiled.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
something you have to do
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
move stealthily
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Naito smiled.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
not in physical motion
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
in or at that place or location
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading _We have said on a number of occasions that there are a number of things and forces which dwell in the shadows of this Fantastic Universe of ours.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Spend some with us and you will slip a little from its tyranny."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are still in the grip of time, Mr. Blair.
Chapter 1 of The shrine by Walter J. Sheldon holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 376 sentences of The shrine, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The shrine by Walter J. Sheldon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 shrine by Walter J. Sheldon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The shrine section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The shrine 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 shrine, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
