The Washer of the Ford

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Washer of the Ford is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Sharp • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Washer of the Ford

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Pharais: _A Romance of the Isles_ The Mountain Lovers: _A Romance_ The Sin-Eater Green Fire: _A Romance_ Lyric Rimes and Founsheen "Here are told the stories of these pictures of the imagination, of magic and romance.

Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

What if they be but dreams?

'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

What if they be but magic and romance?

Narrator

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.

Chapter I Reading 1/87

The Washer of the Ford

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Washer of the Ford is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

Line 3

What if they be but dreams?

/wʌt ɪf ðeɪ biː bʌt driːmz/

Line 4

'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

/wiː ɑːr sʌtʃ stʌf æz driːmz ɑːr meɪd ʌv/

Line 5

What if they be but magic and romance?

/wʌt ɪf ðeɪ biː bʌt ˈmædʒɪk ənd roʊˈmæns/

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.

gravely adverb US /ˈɡreɪvli/

in a grave and sober manner

From this reading “Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....”

Isles noun US /aɪlz/

plural of “isle” — a small island

Lovers noun US /ˈlʌvərz/

plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone

From this reading “Pharais: _A Romance of the Isles_ The Mountain Lovers: _A Romance_ The Sin-Eater Green Fire: _A Romance_ Lyric Rimes and Founsheen "Here are told the stories of these pictures of the imagination, of magic and romance.”

Lyric adjective US /ˈlɪrɪk/

expressing deep emotion

magic noun US /ˈmædʒɪk/

any art that invokes supernatural powers

manifold noun US /ˈmænəfoʊld/

a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes

From this reading “Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....”

Rimes noun US /raɪmz/

plural of “rime” — ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)

romance noun US /roʊˈmæns/

a relationship between two lovers

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.

told the stories verb + article + noun counted as “tell … story”

In this reading “Pharais: _A Romance of the Isles_ The Mountain Lovers: _A Romance_ The Sin-Eater Green Fire: _A Romance_ Lyric Rimes and Founsheen "Here are told the stories of these pictures of the imagination, of magic and romance.”

All words in this reading · 42

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Pharais: _A Romance of the Isles_ The Mountain Lovers: _A Romance_ The Sin-Eater Green Fire: _A Romance_ Lyric Rimes and Founsheen "Here are told the stories of these pictures of the imagination, of magic and romance.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading 'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading What if they be but dreams?

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading What if they be but dreams?

chosennounUS /ˈtʃoʊzən/

one who is the object of choice; who is given preference

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

dreamsnounUS /driːmz/

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading What if they be but dreams?

FireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

Founsheen

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

gravelyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪvli/

in a grave and sober manner

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

GreennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading What if they be but dreams?

imaginationnounUS /ˌɪmædʒəˈneɪʃən/

the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses

IslesnounUS /aɪlz/

plural of “isle” — a small island

LoversnounUS /ˈlʌvərz/

plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone

LyricadjectiveUS /ˈlɪrɪk/

expressing deep emotion

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading 'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

magicnounUS /ˈmædʒɪk/

any art that invokes supernatural powers

manifoldnounUS /ˈmænəfoʊld/

a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

MountainnounUS /ˈmaʊntən/

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

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

Pharais

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

picturesnounUS /ˈpɪktʃərz/

plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

reasonsnounUS /ˈriːzənz/

plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

RimesnounUS /raɪmz/

plural of “rime” — ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)

RomancenounUS /roʊˈmæns/

a relationship between two lovers

Sin-Eater

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

storiesnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

stuffnounUS /stʌf/

the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading 'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading 'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading 'We are such stuff as dreams are made of.'

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What if they be but dreams?

withaladverb

despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet they were gravely chosen withal, and for reasons manifold....

Chapter 1 of The Washer of the Ford by William Sharp holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 Washer of the Ford contain?

Chapter 1 holds 435 sentences of The Washer of the Ford, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Washer of the Ford by William Sharp exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 Washer of the Ford?

Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 87 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 Washer of the Ford

Common questions about reading The Washer of the Ford by William Sharp on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Washer of the Ford?

Yes. All 3081 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43395 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Washer of the Ford is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #43395, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Washer of the Ford take to read?

About 256 minutes of reading across 617 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Washer of the Ford

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Washer of the Ford, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pharais: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Washer of the Ford; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Romance: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Washer of the Ford; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Isles: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Washer of the Ford; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mountain: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Washer of the Ford; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

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Vocabulary met early in The Washer of the Ford