Chapter 1 of Barlasch of the Guard is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Barlasch of the Guard is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom. Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes. “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it. She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father. “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
Chapter 1 of Barlasch of the Guard is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading ““I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.””
a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading “She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.”
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading “She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.”
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading “She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ““I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.””
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading “Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.”
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading ““I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.””
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading ““I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.””
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it.
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
divisible by two
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Her poor little marriage-basket,” she called it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “I tremble,” she exclaimed aloud, “to think what it may be like in the middle.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desiree had made all her own wedding-clothes.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Not what I am, but what I Do, is my Kingdom.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had even made the cake which was now cut with some ceremony by her father.
Chapter 1 of Barlasch of the Guard by Henry Seton Merriman holds 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 153 sentences of Barlasch of the Guard, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Barlasch of the Guard by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Barlasch of the Guard by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8158 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8158, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 970 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Barlasch of the Guard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Barlasch of the Guard 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 Barlasch of the Guard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
