Chapter 9 of First Plays is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of First Plays is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[PHILIP goes out. JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way. Was it a dream, or wasn't it? He will never be quite certain.] BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
Chapter 9 of First Plays is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading “BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.”
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.”
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading “BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.”
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading “BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “[PHILIP goes out.”
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading “JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.”
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 JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He will never be quite certain.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading He will never be quite certain.]
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading Was it a dream, or wasn't it?
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading [PHILIP goes out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He will never be quite certain.]
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Was it a dream, or wasn't it?
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He will never be quite certain.]
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Was it a dream, or wasn't it?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading [PHILIP goes out.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading [PHILIP goes out.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He will never be quite certain.]
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BELINDA An April Folly in Three Acts CHARACTERS BELINDA TREMAYNE.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was it a dream, or wasn't it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was it a dream, or wasn't it?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading JAMES, following him, turns at the door, and looks round the room in a bewildered way.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He will never be quite certain.]
Chapter 9 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 9 holds 408 sentences of First Plays, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 9 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 First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7805 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7805, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 451 minutes of reading across 1084 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of First Plays 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 First Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
