Chapter 4 of Major Barbara is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Major Barbara is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BILL. I'll put his nose out o joint for him. Not that I care a curse for her, mind that. But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt. And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.
Chapter 4 of Major Barbara is here in full — 416 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.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “BILL.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.”
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading “But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.”
let fall to the ground
From this reading “But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.”
(anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion)
From this reading “I'll put his nose out o joint for him.”
intrude in other people's affairs or business; interfere unwantedly
From this reading “And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.”
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “I'll put his nose out o joint for him.”
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading “But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.”
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 Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading BILL.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
let fall to the ground
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
(anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion)
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
intrude in other people's affairs or business; interfere unwantedly
From this reading And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I'll put his nose out o joint for him.
impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But I'll teach her to drop me as if I was dirt.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And I'll teach him to meddle with my Judy.
Chapter 4 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw holds 416 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 4 holds 416 sentences of Major Barbara, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 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 4 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.
