Chapter 3 of Major Barbara is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Major Barbara is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAN. No. Call that a meal! Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man. THE WOMAN. Workin man!
Chapter 3 of Major Barbara is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “No. Call that a meal!”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.”
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading “Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “THE MAN.”
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading “No. Call that a meal!”
proper respect
From this reading “Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “THE WOMAN.”
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 No. Call that a meal!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading No. Call that a meal!
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE MAN.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading No. Call that a meal!
not any; not one
From this reading No. Call that a meal!
proper respect
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No. Call that a meal!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAN.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE WOMAN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Good enough for you, props; but wot is it to me, an intelligent workin man.
Chapter 3 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 417 sentences of Major Barbara, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
