Chapter 1 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This is my house. My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before. Have a drink! [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right. Wha's your name?
Chapter 1 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 10/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 46–50
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 “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading “[He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.”
showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
From this reading “My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.”
possessive form of “name” — a language unit by which a person or thing is known
From this reading “My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.”
a legislative assembly in certain countries
From this reading “My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.”
third-person singular of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading “[He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “[He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.”
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading “[He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading “[He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.”
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 Have a drink!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
take in liquids
From this reading Have a drink!
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Have a drink!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading This is my house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is my house.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading This is my house.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Wha's your name?
possessive form of “name” — a language unit by which a person or thing is known
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
a legislative assembly in certain countries
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
third-person singular of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is my house.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wha's your name?
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading [He pours out whisky and drinks it up.] I'm not drunk [Subsiding on a sofa.] Tha's all right.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading My father's name's Barthwick; he's Member of Parliament--Liberal Member of Parliament: I've told you that before.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Wha's your name?
Chapter 1 of Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Plays : First Series, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays : First Series section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Plays : First Series 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 Plays : First Series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
