Chapter 1 of Wilhelm Tell is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Wilhelm Tell is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TELL. Nought's to be done with idle talking here. Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture? RUODI. No; not I.
Chapter 1 of Wilhelm Tell is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
someone who drives or rides in a boat
From this reading “Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “Nought's to be done with idle talking here.”
not in action or at work
From this reading “Nought's to be done with idle talking here.”
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?”
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “Nought's to be done with idle talking here.”
express in words
From this reading “TELL.”
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading “Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?”
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 with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
someone who drives or rides in a boat
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading No; not I.
not in action or at work
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
not any; not one
From this reading No; not I.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No; not I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RUODI.
express in words
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
express in words
From this reading TELL.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Nought's to be done with idle talking here.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Each moment's precious; the man must be help'd, Say, boatman, will you venture?
Chapter 1 of Wilhelm Tell by Friedrich Schiller holds 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 259 sentences of Wilhelm Tell, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Wilhelm Tell by Friedrich Schiller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Wilhelm Tell by Friedrich Schiller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1607 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 322 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wilhelm Tell section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Wilhelm Tell 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 Wilhelm Tell, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
