Chapter 1 of Unvarnished Tales is here in full — 466 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Unvarnished Tales is here in full — 466 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNVARNISHED TALES. BY WILLIAM MACKAY. LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE. TO REGINALD SHIRLEY BROOKS. IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
Chapter 1 of Unvarnished Tales is here in full — 466 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
United States literary critic and historian (1886-1963)
From this reading “TO REGINALD SHIRLEY BROOKS.”
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading “IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.”
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading “IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.”
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
From this reading “LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.”
not having a coating of stain or varnish
From this reading “UNVARNISHED TALES.”
possessive form of “white” — a Caucasian
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.
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 IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
United States literary critic and historian (1886-1963)
From this reading TO REGINALD SHIRLEY BROOKS.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY WILLIAM MACKAY.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
immediately past
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY WILLIAM MACKAY.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
a form of address for a man
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
(Roman Catholic Church) the Lord's Prayer in Latin; translates as “our father”
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO REGINALD SHIRLEY BROOKS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO REGINALD SHIRLEY BROOKS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
make square
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
From this reading LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY AND CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE.
plural of “tale” — 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
From this reading UNVARNISHED TALES.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
in or at that place or location
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO REGINALD SHIRLEY BROOKS.
not having a coating of stain or varnish
From this reading UNVARNISHED TALES.
possessive form of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading IN the _Times_ newspaper of Monday, 1st July, 18–, there appeared a notice of Mr. White’s last novel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BY WILLIAM MACKAY.
Chapter 1 of Unvarnished Tales by William Mackay holds 466 sentences, grouped into 94 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 466 sentences of Unvarnished Tales, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Unvarnished Tales by William Mackay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 466 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 Unvarnished Tales by William Mackay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1879 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52029 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52029, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 156 minutes of reading across 376 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Unvarnished Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Unvarnished Tales 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 Unvarnished Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
