Chapter 3 of Mad Barbara is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Mad Barbara is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face. “There is the fear of madness. The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind. Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend. But there is always the chance.
Chapter 3 of Mad Barbara is here in full — 406 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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.”
painful from having the skin abraded
From this reading “The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.”
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading ““There is the fear of madness.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.”
English organist at Westminster Abbey and composer of many theatrical pieces (1659-1695)
From this reading “Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.”
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading “The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.”
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.
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading But there is always the chance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there is always the chance.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
painful from having the skin abraded
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading But there is always the chance.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
with expression; in an expressive manner
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “There is the fear of madness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
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 Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “There is the fear of madness.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading “There is the fear of madness.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “There is the fear of madness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
English organist at Westminster Abbey and composer of many theatrical pieces (1659-1695)
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “There is the fear of madness.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There is the fear of madness.
a special situation
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Anne Purcell and I have done what we can, for God knows—I was Lionel Purcell’s friend.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He paused expressively, with his eyes on his son’s face.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading The thing seems to have worn on her, chafed her mind.
Chapter 3 of Mad Barbara by Warwick Deeping holds 406 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 3 holds 406 sentences of Mad Barbara, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mad Barbara by Warwick Deeping exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 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 3 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 Mad Barbara by Warwick Deeping on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6545 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50995 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50995, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 545 minutes of reading across 1309 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mad Barbara section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Mad Barbara 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 Mad Barbara, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
