Chapter 1 of The Web of Life is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Web of Life is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward. Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital. The nurses eyed him favorably. He was absolutely correct. When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
Chapter 1 of The Web of Life is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
lying toward or situated in the east
From this reading “Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.”
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “The nurses eyed him favorably.”
showing approval
From this reading “The nurses eyed him favorably.”
plural of “nurse” — one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
From this reading “The nurses eyed him favorably.”
a person who follows next in order
From this reading “The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.”
plural of “surgeon” — a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.”
of or relating to or involving or used in surgery
From this reading “The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.”
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading “The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading He was absolutely correct.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
make right or correct
From this reading He was absolutely correct.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
lying toward or situated in the east
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading The nurses eyed him favorably.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
showing approval
From this reading The nurses eyed him favorably.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The nurses eyed him favorably.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
plural of “nurse” — one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
From this reading The nurses eyed him favorably.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
a person who follows next in order
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
plural of “surgeon” — a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
of or relating to or involving or used in surgery
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading The next morning Dr. Sommers took his successor through, the surgical ward.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
at the time that
From this reading When the surgeons reached the bed marked 8, Dr. Sommers paused.
belonging to which person
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Dr. Raymond, whose place he had been holding for a month, was a young, carefully dressed man, fresh from a famous eastern hospital.
Chapter 1 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 102 sentences of The Web of Life, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Web of Life by Robert Herrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5943 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7828, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 495 minutes of reading across 1189 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Web of Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Web of Life 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 Web of Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
