Chapter 1 of Passing By is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Passing By is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908. _Gray's Inn_. I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off. They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months. They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
Chapter 1 of Passing By is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
the last (12th) month of the year
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading “_From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.”
a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC
From this reading “They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.”
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
possessive form of “gray” — a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.”
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading “They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.”
In this reading “They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.”
In this reading “They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.”
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 _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
possessive form of “gray” — a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading _Gray's Inn_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading _Gray's Inn_.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
the act of departing
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
by chance
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _From the Diary of Godfrey Mellor_ _Friday, December_ 18_th_, 1908.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading They are leaving for Egypt and intend to stay there a month or perhaps two months.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They are stopping a few days at Paris on the way.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I went to the station this morning to see the Housmans off.
Chapter 1 of Passing By by Maurice Baring holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 1 holds 432 sentences of Passing By, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Passing By by Maurice Baring exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 1 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 Passing By by Maurice Baring on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3677 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42702 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42702, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 306 minutes of reading across 736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Passing By section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Passing By 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 Passing By, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
