Chapter 1 of A Fair Barbarian is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Fair Barbarian is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"AN INVESTMENT, ANYWAY." The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears. "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said. "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him." "He said you were," answered Octavia; "and he was very fond of you too.
Chapter 1 of A Fair Barbarian is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"AN INVESTMENT, ANYWAY."”
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.”
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “"I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."”
the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit
From this reading “"AN INVESTMENT, ANYWAY."”
get rid of
From this reading “The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “"I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “"I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of 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 The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "AN INVESTMENT, ANYWAY."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "He said you were," answered Octavia; "and he was very fond of you too.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "AN INVESTMENT, ANYWAY."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He said you were," answered Octavia; "and he was very fond of you too.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit
From this reading "AN INVESTMENT, ANYWAY."
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He said you were," answered Octavia; "and he was very fond of you too.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
express in words
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
get rid of
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The natural result of these efforts was, that Miss Belinda was moved to shed a few tears.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "He said you were," answered Octavia; "and he was very fond of you too.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
a late time of life
From this reading "I have not seen my brother for thirty years, and I was very fond of him."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I hope you will excuse my being too startled to say I was glad to see you," she said.
Chapter 1 of A Fair Barbarian by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 105 sentences of A Fair Barbarian, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Fair Barbarian by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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.
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Yes. All 2738 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9487 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9487, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 228 minutes of reading across 548 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Fair Barbarian section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of A Fair Barbarian 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 A Fair Barbarian, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
