Chapter 1 of The Velvet Glove is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Velvet Glove is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given. He had never quarreled with any one. He was, in consequence, a lonely man. For the majority of human beings are gregarious. They meet together in order to quarrel.
Chapter 1 of The Velvet Glove is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 2/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 6–10
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.
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading “For the majority of human beings are gregarious.”
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “He was, in consequence, a lonely man.”
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading “Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.”
(of animals) tending to form a group with others of the same species
From this reading “For the majority of human beings are gregarious.”
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading “For the majority of human beings are gregarious.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.”
an angry dispute
From this reading “They meet together in order to quarrel.”
past form of “quarrel” — have a disagreement over something
From this reading “He had never quarreled with any one.”
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 Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading He was, in consequence, a lonely man.
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
(of animals) tending to form a group with others of the same species
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had never quarreled with any one.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was, in consequence, a lonely man.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading He was, in consequence, a lonely man.
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
come together
From this reading They meet together in order to quarrel.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never quarreled with any one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He had never quarreled with any one.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading They meet together in order to quarrel.
by chance
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
an angry dispute
From this reading They meet together in order to quarrel.
past form of “quarrel” — have a disagreement over something
From this reading He had never quarreled with any one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the majority of human beings are gregarious.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They meet together in order to quarrel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They meet together in order to quarrel.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading They meet together in order to quarrel.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Which, perhaps, was as good a description of Evasio Mon as any man had given.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had never quarreled with any one.
Chapter 1 of The Velvet Glove by Henry Seton Merriman holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Velvet Glove, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Velvet Glove by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Velvet Glove by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10342 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10342, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 410 minutes of reading across 985 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Velvet Glove section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Velvet Glove 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 Velvet Glove, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
