Chapter 1 of Box-garden is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Box-garden is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s).... The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set. This annoyed me. The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it. Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
Chapter 1 of Box-garden is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “This annoyed me.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.”
the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements
From this reading “The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.”
past form of “bump” — knock against with force or violence
From this reading “Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.”
connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises
From this reading “The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.”
plural of “commercial” — a commercially sponsored ad on radio or television
From this reading “_He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “_He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.”
to consider or examine in speech or writing
In this reading “_He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....”
In this reading “The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading This annoyed me.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
past form of “bump” — knock against with force or violence
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
plural of “commercial” — a commercially sponsored ad on radio or television
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This annoyed me.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This annoyed me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
hard to endure
From this reading Leaning forward, trying to get the man's head and ears out of my line of sight, I bumped against his shoulder.
broadcasting visual images of stationary or moving objects
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The commercial was on, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The ears of the man to my left at the bar were blocking off my view of the TV set.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _He had big ears, hated TV commercials, and talked about_ bansai (_with an_ s)....
Chapter 1 of Box-garden by Allen Kim Lang holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 111 sentences of Box-garden, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Box-garden by Allen Kim Lang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Box-garden by Allen Kim Lang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 111 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 9 minutes of reading across 23 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Box-garden section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Box-garden 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 Box-garden, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
