Major Barbara
Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 752 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #3790.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Major Barbara
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 748 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #3790, divided into 9 chapters and 752 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read Major Barbara in full?
The complete text of Major Barbara is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #3790 and divided into 752 sections.
This page carries the whole of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #3790, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 3756 sentences across 9 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is Major Barbara divided for reading?
Major Barbara is presented in 9 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Major Barbara as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 752 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 9 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear Major Barbara read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Major Barbara can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Major Barbara can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading Major Barbara
Common questions about reading Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Major Barbara?
Yes. All 3756 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Major Barbara is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #3790, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Major Barbara take to read?
About 313 minutes of reading across 752 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Major Barbara section by section
How to work through Major Barbara section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Major Barbara to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Major Barbara
Words and structures a reader meets early in Major Barbara, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Dinner
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Major Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- January
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Major Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Night
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Major Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Library
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Major Barbara; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.