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.
He is quartered on us.” Desiree hurried downstairs. In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her. He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white. His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
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 3/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 11–15
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.
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading “In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.”
on a floor below
From this reading “Desiree hurried downstairs.”
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading “His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.”
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading “Desiree hurried downstairs.”
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading “He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.”
used of hair; thick and poorly groomed
From this reading “His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.”
dependable
From this reading “He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.”
plural of “temple” — place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading “He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.”
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 In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
(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 He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desiree hurried downstairs.
on a floor below
From this reading Desiree hurried downstairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is quartered on us.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Desiree hurried downstairs.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is quartered on us.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He is quartered on us.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is quartered on us.”
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
used of hair; thick and poorly groomed
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
dependable
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
plural of “temple” — place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the entrance-hall, a broad-built little man stood awaiting her.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He is quartered on us.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes were lost behind shaggy eyebrows.
a Caucasian
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was stout and red, with hair all ragged at the temples, almost white.
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.
