Chapter 1 of The Spoilers of the Valley is here in full — 158 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 Spoilers of the Valley is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They'll never guess." The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion. The man was by her side at once. He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her. In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
Chapter 1 of The Spoilers of the Valley is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 12/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 56–60
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.
the gracefulness of a person or animal that is quick and nimble
From this reading “The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.”
any disease easily transmitted by contact
From this reading “The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.”
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading “In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.”
make a crackling sound
From this reading “He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.”
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading “In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.”
being ten more than fifty
From this reading “In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.”
moving very fast
From this reading “The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “The man was by her side at once.”
In this reading “In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.”
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 The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
the gracefulness of a person or animal that is quick and nimble
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
any disease easily transmitted by contact
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
make a crackling sound
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
a young female
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading They'll never guess."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They'll never guess."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
on one occasion
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
being ten more than fifty
From this reading In sixty seconds more, the box was emptied of its contents.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
moving very fast
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They'll never guess."
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading He gave a little crackle of a laugh in his throat, and shot a glance of admiration at her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
forceful exertion
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man was by her side at once.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The girl, although slight in appearance, set to with a vigour and an agility that carried a swift contagion.
Chapter 1 of The Spoilers of the Valley by Robert Watson holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 158 sentences of The Spoilers of the Valley, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Spoilers of the Valley by Robert Watson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 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 Spoilers of the Valley by Robert Watson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7776 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29588 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29588, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1556 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spoilers of the Valley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Spoilers of the Valley 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 Spoilers of the Valley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
