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.
His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear. He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated. “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper. “Of the Guard. Once a sergeant.
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 4/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 16–20
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.
periodically accumulated over time
From this reading “He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.”
comparative of “broad” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.”
plural of “campaign” — a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading “He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.”
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading “He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.”
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading ““Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.”
take away possessions from someone
From this reading ““Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.”
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.”
plural of “wrinkle” — a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface
From this reading “He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.”
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 He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
periodically accumulated over time
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
comparative of “broad” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
plural of “campaign” — a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
the coloring of a person's face
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
remove the dust from
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading “Of the Guard.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
the act of retaining something
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
on one occasion
From this reading Once a sergeant.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading Once a sergeant.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
take away possessions from someone
From this reading “Barlasch,” he said curtly, holding out a long strip of blue paper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading His face was made broader by little whiskers stopping short at the level of his ear.
plural of “wrinkle” — a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface
From this reading He had a snuff-blown complexion, and in the wrinkles of his face the dust of a dozen campaigns seemed to have accumulated.
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.
