Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Albert Payson Terhune • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/82

Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories Albert Payson Terhune

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ _New York_ A swirl of gold-and-white and gray and black,-- Rackety, vibrant, glad with life’s hot zest,-- Sunnybank collies, gaily surging pack,-- These are my chums; the chums that love me best. Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new. These are the friendly folk whose god I am. A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay! Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

Line 3

These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

/ðiːz ɑːr ðə ˈfrendli foʊk huːz ɡɑːd aɪ æm/

Line 4

A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

Line 5

Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

/jet ˈiːɡər æt maɪ ˈlaɪtəst wɜːrd ɔːr nɑːd ðeɪ kreɪv bʌt liːv tuː ˈfɑːloʊ ənd oʊˈbeɪ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

blatant adjective US /ˈbleɪtənt/

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

From this reading “A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!”

clogged adjective US /klɔːɡd/

thickened or coalesced in soft thick lumps (such as clogs or clots)

From this reading “A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!”

collies noun US /ˈkɑːliz/

plural of “collie” — a silky-coated sheepdog with a long ruff and long narrow head developed in Scotland

From this reading “GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ _New York_ A swirl of gold-and-white and gray and black,-- Rackety, vibrant, glad with life’s hot zest,-- Sunnybank collies, gaily surging pack,-- These are my chums; the chums that love me best.”

crave verb US /kreɪv/

have a craving, appetite, or great desire for

From this reading “Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.”

lightest adjective US /ˈlaɪtəst/

superlative of “light” — of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading “Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.”

swirl verb US /swɜːrl/

turn in a twisting or spinning motion

vibrant adjective US /ˈvaɪbrənt/

vigorous and animated

zealots noun US /ˈzeləts/

plural of “zealot” — a member of an ancient Jewish sect in Judea in the first century who fought to the death against the Romans and who killed or persecuted Jews who collaborated with the Romans

From this reading “Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

too wise adverb + adjective

In this reading “Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.”

All words in this reading · 78

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading GROSSET & DUNLAP _Publishers_ _New York_ A swirl of gold-and-white and gray and black,-- Rackety, vibrant, glad with life’s hot zest,-- Sunnybank collies, gaily surging pack,-- These are my chums; the chums that love me best.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

blatantadjectiveUS /ˈbleɪtənt/

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

chumsnounUS /tʃʌmz/

plural of “chum” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

claynounUS /kleɪ/

a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

Clean-white

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

cloggedadjectiveUS /klɔːɡd/

thickened or coalesced in soft thick lumps (such as clogs or clots)

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

colliesnounUS /ˈkɑːliz/

plural of “collie” — a silky-coated sheepdog with a long ruff and long narrow head developed in Scotland

courtiersnounUS /ˈkɔːrtiərz/

plural of “courtier” — an attendant at the court of a sovereign

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

craveverbUS /kreɪv/

have a craving, appetite, or great desire for

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

DUNLAP

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/

having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

folknounUS /foʊk/

people in general (often used in the plural)

From this reading These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

followverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊ/

to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

foolishadjectiveUS /ˈfuːlɪʃ/

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

fraudnounUS /frɔːd/

intentional deception resulting in injury to another person

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

friendlyadjectiveUS /ˈfrendli/

characteristic of or befitting a friend

From this reading These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

gailyadverbUS /ˈɡeɪli/

in a gay manner

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

godnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

gold-and-white

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

graynounUS /ɡreɪ/

a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

GROSSET

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

idolnounUS /ˈaɪdəl/

a material effigy that is worshipped

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

life'snounUS /laɪfs/

possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living

lightestadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪtəst/

superlative of “light” — of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

nodverbUS /nɑːd/

express or signify by nodding

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

obeyverbUS /oʊˈbeɪ/

be obedient to

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

packverbUS /pæk/

arrange in a container

pinchbecknoun

an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in cheap jewelry to imitate gold

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

PublishersnounUS /ˈpʌblɪʃərz/

plural of “publisher” — a firm in the publishing business

purblindadjective

having greatly reduced vision

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

Racketyadjective

uncontrollably noisy

senselessadjectiveUS /ˈsensləs/

not marked by the use of reason

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

shamnounUS /ʃæm/

something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

stumblingverbUS /ˈstʌmbəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily

From this reading A blatant, foolish, stumbling, purblind god,-- A pinchbeck idol, clogged with feet of clay!

Sunnybank

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

surgingadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrdʒɪŋ/

characterized by great swelling waves or surges

swirlverbUS /swɜːrl/

turn in a twisting or spinning motion

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

vibrantadjectiveUS /ˈvaɪbrənt/

vigorous and animated

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading These are the friendly folk whose god I am.

wiseadjectiveUS /waɪz/

having or prompted by wisdom or discernment

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Yet, eager at my lightest word or nod, They crave but leave to follow and obey.

worshipverbUS /ˈwɜːrʃəp/

love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

YorknounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

zealotsnounUS /ˈzeləts/

From this reading Not chums alone, but courtiers, zealots, too,-- Clean-white of soul, too wise for fraud or sham; Yet senseless in their worship ever new.

zestnounUS /zest/

vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment

Chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories by Albert Payson Terhune holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

What does chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories contain?

Chapter 1 holds 413 sentences of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories by Albert Payson Terhune exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories

Common questions about reading Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories by Albert Payson Terhune on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories?

Yes. All 4860 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42804 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42804, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories take to read?

About 405 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories section by section

How to work through Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 12 chapters of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Grosset: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dunlap: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Publishers: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Swirl: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I

What does chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories contain?

How do I study chapter 1 of Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories?

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Questions about reading Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories

How to read Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories section by section

Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories