Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
[Exit Zanche. Corn. What make you here, my lord, this dead of night? Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now. 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 67/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 331–335
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.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “Corn.”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “[Exit Zanche.”
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading “Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?”
the process of becoming mildewed
From this reading “Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?”
up to a particular time
From this reading “Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.”
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 Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading Corn.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading [Exit Zanche.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flam.
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
engage in
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
the process of becoming mildewed
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
up to a particular time
From this reading Never dropp'd mildew on a flower here till now.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What make you here, my lord, this dead of night?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Exit Zanche.
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.
