Chapter 2 of Major Barbara is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Major Barbara is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SARAH. Well, he can't eat us, I suppose. I don't mind. LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it. LADY BRITOMART.
Chapter 2 of Major Barbara is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
-ing form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading “LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.”
take in solid food
From this reading “Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “LADY BRITOMART.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “I don't mind.”
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading “SARAH.”
express a supposition
From this reading “Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.”
carry out
From this reading “LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LADY BRITOMART.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
-ing form of “chuckle” — laugh quietly or with restraint
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't mind.
take in solid food
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading LADY BRITOMART.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading I don't mind.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading SARAH.
express a supposition
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
carry out
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, he can't eat us, I suppose.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading LOMAX [chuckling] I wonder how the old man will take it.
Chapter 2 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 2 holds 427 sentences of Major Barbara, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 2 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 Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3756 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3790, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 752 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Major Barbara section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Major 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 Major Barbara, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
