Chapter 1 of The Triflers is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Triflers is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested. "Do you mind?" he asked. "No, Monte." She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued. There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
Chapter 1 of The Triflers is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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 formal act of approving
From this reading “There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.”
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading “She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.”
to a moderate degree
From this reading “She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.”
a gambling card game of Spanish origin; 3 or 4 cards are dealt face up and players bet that one of them will be matched before the others as the cards are dealt from the pack one at a time
From this reading “"No, Monte."”
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading “She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.”
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading “There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.”
in a softened tone
From this reading “She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.”
plural of “wrap” — cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
From this reading “There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.”
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 There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
the formal act of approving
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do you mind?" he asked.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you mind?" he asked.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Do you mind?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
to a moderate degree
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Do you mind?" he asked.
a gambling card game of Spanish origin; 3 or 4 cards are dealt face up and players bet that one of them will be matched before the others as the cards are dealt from the pack one at a time
From this reading "No, Monte."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, Monte."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
in a softened tone
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
at the time that
From this reading She was surprised when the car stopped before the café, and mildly interested.
in or at the place that
From this reading She followed him through the smoke and chatter to one of the little dining-rooms in the rear where the smoke and chatter were somewhat subdued.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
plural of “wrap” — cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
From this reading There Henri removed their wraps with a look of frank approval.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you mind?" he asked.
Chapter 1 of The Triflers by Frederick Orin Bartlett holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 233 sentences of The Triflers, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Triflers by Frederick Orin Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Triflers by Frederick Orin Bartlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5919 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20458 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20458, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1184 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Triflers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Triflers 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 Triflers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
