Chapter 1 of Windsor Castle is here in full — 1288 sentences across 258 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Windsor Castle is here in full — 1288 sentences across 258 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you. I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.” “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend. “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone. “Show us his chamber, dame.”
Chapter 1 of Windsor Castle is here in full — 1288 sentences across 258 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 154/257 · 5 reading units · Lines 766–770
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.
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading ““Show us his chamber, dame.””
a stew of vegetables and (sometimes) meat
From this reading “I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.””
capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
From this reading ““If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.”
plural of “sleep” — a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.”
deeply or completely
From this reading “He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading ““If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.”
a county in southeastern England on the Thames
From this reading ““I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.”
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 I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
later than; following
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading “Show us his chamber, dame.”
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading “Show us his chamber, dame.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
start firing a weapon
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
set afire or burning
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
a stew of vegetables and (sometimes) meat
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “Show us his chamber, dame.”
plural of “sleep” — a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I lighted a fire, and made him some hot pottage myself.”
in the near future
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
deeply or completely
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
a county in southeastern England on the Thames
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “I do not believe her,” replied Surrey, in the same tone.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Show us his chamber, dame.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “If she speaks the truth, you must be mistaken,” observed Richmond in a whisper to his friend.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He retired soon after sunset--slept soundly, as he always sleeps--and arose as I have told you.
Chapter 1 of Windsor Castle by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 1288 sentences, grouped into 258 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 1288 sentences of Windsor Castle, unabridged, divided into 258 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Windsor Castle by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1288 sentences, grouped into 258 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 258 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 258 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 Windsor Castle by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5706 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2866 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2866, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1142 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Windsor Castle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Windsor Castle 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 Windsor Castle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
