Chapter 1 of The Tables Turned is here in full — 918 sentences across 184 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Tables Turned is here in full — 918 sentences across 184 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_. USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR. HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_. MR. LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
Chapter 1 of The Tables Turned is here in full — 918 sentences across 184 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/183 · 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.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR.”
an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading “LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.”
a republic in central Europe
From this reading “HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_.”
the quality of being just or fair
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.”
the place where some action occurs
From this reading “SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_.”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.”
take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading “USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR.”
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 SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_.
an official prosecutor for a judicial district
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
a republic in central Europe
From this reading HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
a form of address for a man
From this reading USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
the 17th letter of the Roman alphabet
From this reading HUNGARY, Q.C., _and others_.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading SCENE.--_A Court of Justice_.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading LA-DI- DA, _the prisoner, not in the dock, but seated in a chair before it_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR.
take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading USHER, CLERK OF THE COURT, MR.
Chapter 1 of The Tables Turned by William Morris holds 918 sentences, grouped into 184 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 918 sentences of The Tables Turned, unabridged, divided into 184 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Tables Turned by William Morris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 918 sentences, grouped into 184 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 184 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 184 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.
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How to work through The Tables Turned section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Tables Turned, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
