Chapter 1 of The Temptress (La tierra de todos) is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Temptress (La tierra de todos) is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late. Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library. Some of the postmarks were foreign. At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief. That much respite at least....
Chapter 1 of The Temptress (La tierra de todos) is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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 room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading “Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.”
uttered without voice
From this reading “At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.”
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading “Some of the postmarks were foreign.”
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading “As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.”
a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
From this reading “That much respite at least....”
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading “Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.”
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading “Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.”
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.
In this reading “Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.”
rise to one's feet
In this reading “As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.”
In this reading “Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.”
In this reading “At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.”
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 Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
uttered without voice
From this reading At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.
put or send forth
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading Some of the postmarks were foreign.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading That much respite at least....
the act of departing
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
the literary culture
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
a room where books are kept
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
humorist who wrote about the imaginary life of cockroaches (1878-1937)
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading That much respite at least....
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some of the postmarks were foreign.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.
a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
From this reading That much respite at least....
a tray (or large plate) for serving food or drinks; usually made of silver
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some of the postmarks were foreign.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That much respite at least....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading At sight of these he breathed a sigh of relief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading As usual the Marquis de Torre Bianca got up late.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Leaving the security of his bedroom, he cast an uneasy glance at the letters and newspapers waiting for him on a silver salver in the library.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Some of the postmarks were foreign.
Chapter 1 of The Temptress (La tierra de todos) by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 256 sentences of The Temptress (La tierra de todos), unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Temptress (La tierra de todos) by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Temptress (La tierra de todos) by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63649 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63649, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 465 minutes of reading across 1117 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Temptress (La tierra de todos) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Temptress (La tierra de todos) 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 Temptress (La tierra de todos), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
