Chapter 5 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 V
Chapter 5 of Major Barbara is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance. I shall hand on my torch to my daughter. She shall make my converts and preach my gospel. CUSINS. What!
Chapter 5 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.
plural of “convert” — a person who has been converted to another religious or political belief
From this reading “She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.”
a female human offspring
From this reading “I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.”
the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings
From this reading “She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.”
hereditary succession to a title or an office or property
From this reading “UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.”
deliver a sermon
From this reading “She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.”
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading “I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.”
of imposing height; especially standing out above others
From this reading “UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.
plural of “convert” — a person who has been converted to another religious or political belief
From this reading She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CUSINS.
a female human offspring
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings
From this reading She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
hereditary succession to a title or an office or property
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
engage in
From this reading She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
deliver a sermon
From this reading She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She shall make my converts and preach my gospel.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading I shall hand on my torch to my daughter.
of imposing height; especially standing out above others
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNDERSHAFT [in towering excitement] It is the Undershaft inheritance.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What!
Chapter 5 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 5 holds 416 sentences of Major Barbara, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 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 5 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.
