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The Swan and Her Crew
The Swan and Her Crew

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Swan and Her Crew is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Swan and Her Crew
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.
AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.
_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.
LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Swan and Her Crew

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Swan and Her Crew is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.
Line 2
AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.
Line 3
_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
Line 4
NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.
Line 5
LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.
/ˈlʌndən ɑːr kleɪ sʌnz ənd ˈteɪlər ˈprɪntərz bred striːt hɪl kwiːn vɪkˈtɔːriə striːt/

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.

angling noun US /ˈæŋɡlɪŋ/

fishing with a hook and line (and usually a pole)

From this reading “AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.”

armstrong noun US /ˈɑːrmstrɑːŋ/

United States astronaut; the first man to set foot on the Moon (July 20, 1969) (1930-)

From this reading “NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.”

illustrations noun US /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

From this reading “_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.”

norfolk noun US /ˈnɔːrfək/

port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy

printers noun US /ˈprɪntərz/

plural of “printer” — someone whose occupation is printing

From this reading “LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.”

strand noun US /strænd/

a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole

From this reading “_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.”

taylor noun US /ˈteɪlər/

United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)

From this reading “LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.”

victoria noun US /vɪkˈtɔːriə/

queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)

From this reading “LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.”

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.

ADVENTURES OF verb + particle counted as “adventure of”

In this reading “AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.”

All words in this reading · 44

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.

ADVENTURESnounUS /ædˈventʃərz/

plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

ANGLINGnounUS /ˈæŋɡlɪŋ/

fishing with a hook and line (and usually a pole)

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

ARMSTRONGnounUS /ˈɑːrmstrɑːŋ/

United States astronaut; the first man to set foot on the Moon (July 20, 1969) (1930-)

From this reading NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.

AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

BEDFORD

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

BREADnounUS /bred/

food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

BROADS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

CLAYnounUS /kleɪ/

a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

CLUBnounUS /klʌb/

a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

COnounUS /koʊ/

an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

ETC

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

FIELDnounUS /fiːld/

a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

FREDERICKnounUS /ˈfredrɪk/

a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

HILLnounUS /hɪl/

a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

IDYLLS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

ILLUSTRATIONSnounUS /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

MEADOWnounUS /ˈmedoʊ/

a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

MEREadjectiveUS /mɪr/

being nothing more than specified

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

MOUNTAINnounUS /ˈmaʊntən/

a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.

NORFOLKnounUS /ˈnɔːrfək/

port city located in southeastern Virginia on the Elizabeth River at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; headquarters of the Atlantic fleet of the United States Navy

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

NUMEROUSadjectiveUS /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

OURdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

PRINTERSnounUS /ˈprɪntərz/

plural of “printer” — someone whose occupation is printing

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

QUEENnounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

RnounUS /ɑːr/

a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

RAMBLES

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

RIVERSnounUS /ˈrɪvərz/

plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

SCHOOLnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

From this reading AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.

SCRIBNER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.

SONSnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

STRANDnounUS /strænd/

a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

STREETnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

TAYLORnounUS /ˈteɪlər/

United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.

VICTORIAnounUS /vɪkˈtɔːriə/

queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)

From this reading LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.

WARNE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

WELFORD

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.

WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._ London: FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.

YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.

Chapter 1 of The Swan and Her Crew by G. Christopher (George Christopher) Davies holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 Swan and Her Crew contain?

Chapter 1 holds 129 sentences of The Swan and Her Crew, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Swan and Her Crew by G. Christopher (George Christopher) Davies exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 Swan and Her Crew?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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 Swan and Her Crew

Common questions about reading The Swan and Her Crew by G. Christopher (George Christopher) Davies on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Swan and Her Crew?

Yes. All 3767 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40214 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Swan and Her Crew is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40214, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Swan and Her Crew take to read?

About 313 minutes of reading across 754 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Swan and Her Crew section by section

How to work through The Swan and Her Crew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Swan and Her Crew 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 Swan and Her Crew

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Swan and Her Crew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Broads
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Swan and Her Crew; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rivers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Swan and Her Crew; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Norfolk
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Swan and Her Crew; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Swan and Her Crew; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.