Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes? I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit. Brach. We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit. Flam.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 22/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 106–110
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.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading “I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.”
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.”
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading “We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.”
secure in or as if in a berth or dock
From this reading “I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.”
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading “I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.”
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading “I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.”
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.”
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 I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
for the reason that
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brach.
a maid who is employed to clean and care for bedrooms (now primarily in hotels)
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
inflected form of “deal” — act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flam.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
secure in or as if in a berth or dock
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are happy above thought, because 'bove merit.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
in the company of; together with
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Observ'd you not to-night, my honour'd lord, Which way soe'er you went, she threw her eyes?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have dealt already with her chambermaid, Zanche the Moor, and she is wondrous proud To be the agent for so high a spirit.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil by John Webster holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of The White Devil, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The White Devil by John Webster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 White Devil by John Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3118 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12915 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12915, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 259 minutes of reading across 624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Devil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The White Devil 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 White Devil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
