Chapter 1 of The Sundial is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Sundial is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II. "The Desire of the Moth" III. "Home, Sweet Home!" IV. Sackcloth and Ashes V.
Chapter 1 of The Sundial is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading “Sackcloth and Ashes V.”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
affected by blight; anything that mars or prevents growth or prosperity
From this reading “_Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.”
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “_Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.”
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading “_Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.”
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading “"The Desire of the Moth" III.”
typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae
From this reading “"The Desire of the Moth" III.”
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading “"Home, Sweet Home!"”
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.
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 _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sackcloth and Ashes V.
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading Sackcloth and Ashes V.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
affected by blight; anything that mars or prevents growth or prosperity
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading "The Desire of the Moth" III.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Home, Sweet Home!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "The Desire of the Moth" III.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading IV.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae
From this reading "The Desire of the Moth" III.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
a garment made of coarse sacking; formerly worn as an indication of remorse
From this reading Sackcloth and Ashes V.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading "Home, Sweet Home!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Author of "The Crimson Blind," etc._ I. A Blighted Life II.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading Sackcloth and Ashes V.
Chapter 1 of The Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Sundial, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55006, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 507 minutes of reading across 1219 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sundial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Sundial 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 Sundial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
