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.
Leave me, I pray you. I will soon win back the affections of the king.” No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it. His first proceeding was to bar the door. “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
Chapter 1 of Windsor Castle is here in full — 1288 sentences across 258 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 212/257 · 5 reading units · Lines 1056–1060
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 “affection” — a positive feeling of liking
From this reading “I will soon win back the affections of the king.””
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading ““What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.”
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading ““What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “His first proceeding was to bar the door.”
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading “No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.”
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading “His first proceeding was to bar the door.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading ““What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.”
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading “I will soon win back the affections of the king.””
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.
plural of “affection” — a positive feeling of liking
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
a wall hanging of heavy handwoven fabric often with pictorial designs
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading His first proceeding was to bar the door.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading His first proceeding was to bar the door.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading His first proceeding was to bar the door.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His first proceeding was to bar the door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Leave me, I pray you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
go away from a place
From this reading Leave me, I pray you.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Leave me, I pray you.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
not any; not one
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading Leave me, I pray you.
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading His first proceeding was to bar the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
term of address for a man
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
in the near future
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His first proceeding was to bar the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What means this, Sir Thomas?” cried Anne in alarm.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading I will soon win back the affections of the king.”
English poet who introduced the sonnet form to English literature (1503-1542)
From this reading No sooner had Rochford quitted the chamber than the arras at the farther end was raised, and Wyat stepped from behind it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Leave me, I pray 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.
