Chapter 1 of Vortigern is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Vortigern is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ORIGINAL PREFACE. W. H. IRELAND. SHAKSPEARE. LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE. BALNE, PRINTER, GRACECHURCH STREET, LONDON.
Chapter 1 of Vortigern is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921
From this reading “W. H. IRELAND.”
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading “LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.”
a narrow way or road
From this reading “LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.”
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading “AN ORIGINAL PREFACE.”
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading “AN ORIGINAL PREFACE.”
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading “BALNE, PRINTER, GRACECHURCH STREET, LONDON.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ORIGINAL PREFACE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BALNE, PRINTER, GRACECHURCH STREET, LONDON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BALNE, PRINTER, GRACECHURCH STREET, LONDON.
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 W. H. IRELAND.
a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921
From this reading W. H. IRELAND.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.
a narrow way or road
From this reading LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading AN ORIGINAL PREFACE.
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading AN ORIGINAL PREFACE.
someone whose occupation is printing
From this reading BALNE, PRINTER, GRACECHURCH STREET, LONDON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHAKSPEARE.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading BALNE, PRINTER, GRACECHURCH STREET, LONDON.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading LONDON: JOSEPH THOMAS, BIRCHIN LANE.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading W. H. IRELAND.
Chapter 1 of Vortigern by W. H. (William Henry) Ireland holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Vortigern, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Vortigern by W. H. (William Henry) Ireland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Vortigern by W. H. (William Henry) Ireland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1227 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70729 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70729, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 102 minutes of reading across 246 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vortigern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Vortigern 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 Vortigern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
