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The Story of the Siren
The Story of the Siren

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Story of the Siren is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Story of the Siren
Context Illustration Reading 1/48 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.
Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.
Blank pages have been eliminated.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.
_Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Story of the Siren

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Story of the Siren is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/48 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.
/aɪˈtælɪk tekst ɪz dɪˈnoʊtəd baɪ ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz ənd boʊld tekst baɪ ˈiːkwəl saɪnz/
Line 2
Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.
Line 3
Blank pages have been eliminated.
/blæŋk ˈpeɪdʒəz hæv bɪn ɪˈlɪməneɪtɪd/
Line 4
Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.
/ˌveriˈeɪʃənz ɪn ˈspelɪŋ ənd ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən hæv bɪn left æz ɪn ðə ərˈɪdʒənəl/
Line 5
_Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.
/ˈprɪntɪd baɪ ˈlenərd vərˈdʒɪnjə wʊlf æt ðə ˈhoʊɡɑːrθ pres ˈperədaɪs roʊd ˈrɪtʃmənd fjuː θɪŋz hæv bɪn mɔːr ˈbjuːtəfəl ðæn maɪ noʊt bʊk ɑːn ðə ˈdiːɪst ˈkɑːntrəvɜːrsi æz ɪt fel ˈdaʊnwərd θruː ðə ˈwɔːtərz ʌv ðə ˌmedətərˈeɪniən/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Deist noun US /ˈdiːɪst/

a person who believes that God created the universe and then abandoned it

From this reading “_Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.”

denoted verb US /dɪˈnoʊtəd/

past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of

From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.”

eliminated verb US /ɪˈlɪməneɪtɪd/

past form of “eliminate” — terminate, end, or take out

From this reading “Blank pages have been eliminated.”

Hogarth noun US /ˈhoʊɡɑːrθ/

English artist noted for a series of engravings that satirized the affectations of his time (1697-1764)

From this reading “_Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.”

hyphenation noun US /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading “Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.”

Italic noun US /aɪˈtælɪk/

a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading “Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.”

underscores noun US /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

Woolf noun US /wʊlf/

English author whose work used such techniques as stream of consciousness and the interior monologue; prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group (1882-1941)

From this reading “_Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

Blank pages adjective + noun counted as “blank page”

In this reading “Blank pages have been eliminated.”

Few things adjective + noun

In this reading “_Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

BlankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/

(of a surface) not written or printed on

From this reading Blank pages have been eliminated.

boldadjectiveUS /boʊld/

fearless and daring

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

booknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

ControversynounUS /ˈkɑːntrəvɜːrsi/

a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

DeistnounUS /ˈdiːɪst/

a person who believes that God created the universe and then abandoned it

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

denotedverbUS /dɪˈnoʊtəd/

past form of “denote” — be a sign or indication of

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/

extending or moving from a higher to a lower place

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

eliminatedverbUS /ɪˈlɪməneɪtɪd/

past form of “eliminate” — terminate, end, or take out

From this reading Blank pages have been eliminated.

equalverbUS /ˈiːkwəl/

be identical or equivalent to

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

FewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

HogarthnounUS /ˈhoʊɡɑːrθ/

English artist noted for a series of engravings that satirized the affectations of his time (1697-1764)

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

hyphenationnounUS /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

ItalicnounUS /aɪˈtælɪk/

a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

LeonardnounUS /ˈlenərd/

United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

MediterraneannounUS /ˌmedətərˈeɪniən/

the largest inland sea; between Europe and Africa and Asia

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

originaladjectiveUS /ərˈɪdʒənəl/

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

pagesnounUS /ˈpeɪdʒəz/

plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading Blank pages have been eliminated.

ParadisenounUS /ˈperədaɪs/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

PressverbUS /pres/

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

PrintedverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

regularadjectiveUS /ˈreɡjələr/

in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

replacedverbUS /ˌriːˈpleɪst/

past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

RichmondnounUS /ˈrɪtʃmənd/

capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

RoadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

signsnounUS /saɪnz/

plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

SmalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

spellingnounUS /ˈspelɪŋ/

forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

underscoresnounUS /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

From this reading Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

uppercasenoun

one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

VariationsnounUS /ˌveriˈeɪʃənz/

plural of “variation” — an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change

From this reading Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the original.

VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/

a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

watersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.

WoolfnounUS /wʊlf/

English author whose work used such techniques as stream of consciousness and the interior monologue; prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group (1882-1941)

From this reading _Printed by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press, Paradise Road, Richmond_ Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean.

Chapter 1 of The Story of the Siren by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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.

What does chapter 1 of The Story of the Siren contain?

Chapter 1 holds 244 sentences of The Story of the Siren, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Story of the Siren by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Story of the Siren?

Work through the 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 49 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Story of the Siren

Common questions about reading The Story of the Siren by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Story of the Siren?

Yes. All 244 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58581 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Story of the Siren is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #58581, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Story of the Siren take to read?

About 20 minutes of reading across 49 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Story of the Siren section by section

How to work through The Story of the Siren section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Story of the Siren to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Story of the Siren

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Story of the Siren, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Italic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of the Siren; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Denoted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of the Siren; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Underscores
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of the Siren; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Equal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of the Siren; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.