Chapter 1 of The Summons is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Summons is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_. "So! You have come!" he cried. "I began to despair." "You have kept my table?"
Chapter 1 of The Summons is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “"I began to despair."”
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading “Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “"You have kept my table?"”
an organization to gain political power
From this reading “Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.”
made smooth by ironing
From this reading “Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.”
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “"You have kept my table?"”
gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker
From this reading “Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.”
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 Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "I began to despair."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading You have come!" he cried.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading You have come!" he cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading "I began to despair."
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You have come!" he cried.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You have come!" he cried.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I began to despair."
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "You have kept my table?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You have kept my table?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
made smooth by ironing
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So!
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "You have kept my table?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I began to despair."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker
From this reading Upon the entrance of Hardiman's party a wrinkle was smoothed away from the forehead of a _maitre d'hotel_.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You have come!" he cried.
Chapter 1 of The Summons by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 236 sentences of The Summons, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Summons by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 Summons by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7685 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16381 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16381, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1537 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Summons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Summons 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 Summons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
