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.
“The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects. I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.” “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford. “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him. Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
Chapter 1 of Windsor Castle is here in full — 1288 sentences across 258 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 207/257 · 5 reading units · Lines 1031–1035
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 “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading ““You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.”
third-person singular of “differ” — be different
From this reading ““The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.”
in a forcible manner
From this reading ““You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.”
paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
From this reading ““You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading ““You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.”
a fierce or audacious person
From this reading ““You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.”
plural of “toil” — productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
From this reading “I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.””
resistant to guidance or discipline
From this reading ““Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.”
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 “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
a female human offspring
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
third-person singular of “differ” — be different
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
in a forcible manner
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
not any; not one
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
on one occasion
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
express a supposition
From this reading “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.
carry out
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The king differs in no respect from any of his love-smitten subjects.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
a fierce or audacious person
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
plural of “toil” — productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Once let him take up a notion, and nothing can shake him from it.
resistant to guidance or discipline
From this reading “Henry is more wayward than you suppose him.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I have him in my toils, and will not let him escape.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You have a tiger in your toils, daughter, and take heed he breaks not forcibly through them,” rejoined Rochford.
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.
