Chapter 1 of The Willing Horse: A Novel is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Willing Horse: A Novel is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC. H. M. B. One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read. This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives: (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
Chapter 1 of The Willing Horse: A Novel is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “alternative” — one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
From this reading “This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:”
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading “(1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “(1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.”
one who writes novels
From this reading “This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:”
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.”
third-person singular of “reduce” — cut down on; make a reduction in
From this reading “This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:”
arousing affect
From this reading “One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.”
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
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.
the cardinal number that is the fifth power of ten
In this reading “AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.”
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 (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
plural of “alternative” — one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading H. M. B.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading H. M. B.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
ten 10s
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
having much knowledge or education
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
for more time
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading H. M. B.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
not any; not one
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
one who writes novels
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
an amount of time
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
third-person singular of “reduce” — cut down on; make a reduction in
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
precisely, exactly
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading AUTHOR OF "A MAN’S MAN," "A SAFETY MATCH," "THE RIGHT STUFF," "THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND," ETC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
arousing affect
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading This, if true, reduces the novelist to the following alternatives:
a formal word for “on”
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading One is informed that novels touching upon the war are no longer read.
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
the act of creating written works
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading (1) Writing a novel of some period of the world’s history antecedent to the year nineteen-fourteen.
Chapter 1 of The Willing Horse: A Novel by Ian Hay holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The Willing Horse: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Willing Horse: A Novel by Ian Hay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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.
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Yes. All 5243 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46549 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46549, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 436 minutes of reading across 1049 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Willing Horse: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
