Chapter 17 of Devlin the Barber is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Devlin the Barber is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. LEMON WAKES UP. "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do. Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log. Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
Chapter 17 of Devlin the Barber is here in full — 151 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.
only a very short time before
From this reading “"I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.”
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading “"I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.”
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading “LEMON WAKES UP.”
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading “Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.”
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading “Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?”
plural of “wake” — the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)
From this reading “LEMON WAKES UP.”
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.
cause to become awake or conscious
In this reading “LEMON WAKES UP.”
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 Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
only a very short time before
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading LEMON WAKES UP.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading Couldn't I bring him to his senses somehow or other?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Minutes was like dymens, and there Lemon lay like a log.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading LEMON WAKES UP.
plural of “wake” — the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)
From this reading LEMON WAKES UP.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I was that impatient that I hardly knew what to do.
Chapter 17 of Devlin the Barber by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 151 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 17 holds 151 sentences of Devlin the Barber, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Devlin the Barber by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 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 17 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 Devlin the Barber by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4356 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53044 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53044, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 363 minutes of reading across 872 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Devlin the Barber section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Devlin the Barber 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 Devlin the Barber, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
