Chapter 1 of Left End Edwards is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Left End Edwards is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?" Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat. "Eh?" he asked. "What was that?" "'Mens sana in corpore sano,' sir."
Chapter 1 of Left End Edwards is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"”
American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758)
From this reading “Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.”
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading “Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.”
plural of “men” — the force of workers available
From this reading “"Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"”
the capital and largest city of Yemen; on the central plateau
From this reading “"Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.”
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading “Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.”
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.
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Eh?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
a youthful male person
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758)
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Eh?" he asked.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Eh?" he asked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
plural of “men” — the force of workers available
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
above and across; more than
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
the capital and largest city of Yemen; on the central plateau
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "'Mens sana in corpore sano,' sir."
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What was that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What was that?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Dad, what does 'Mens sana in corpore sano' mean?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Edwards slightly lowered his Sunday paper and over the top of it frowned abstractedly at the boy on the window-seat.
Chapter 1 of Left End Edwards by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of Left End Edwards, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Left End Edwards by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Left End Edwards by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5619 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20650 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20650, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 468 minutes of reading across 1124 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Left End Edwards section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Left End Edwards 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 Left End Edwards, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
