Chapter 9 of Major Barbara is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Major Barbara is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BARBARA. And will he be the better for that? UNDERSHAFT. You know he will. Don't be a hypocrite, Barbara.
Chapter 9 of Major Barbara is here in full — 409 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.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “And will he be the better for that?”
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
From this reading “Don't be a hypocrite, Barbara.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know he will.”
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 Don't be a hypocrite, Barbara.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BARBARA.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't be a hypocrite, Barbara.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
From this reading Don't be a hypocrite, Barbara.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know he will.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNDERSHAFT.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And will he be the better for that?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know he will.
Chapter 9 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 9 holds 409 sentences of Major Barbara, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 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 9 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.
