Chapter I
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville is here in full — 478 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LYDIA. Oh, what does it mean? BASHVILLE. "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man." LYDIA.
The Admirable Bashville
Chapter I · Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville is here in full — 478 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
LYDIA.
Oh,
what
does
it
mean?
BASHVILLE.
"The
Dutchman
went
to
grass,
a
beaten
man."
LYDIA.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
The Admirable Bashville
Chapter I · Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville is here in full — 478 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
LYDIA.
/ˈlɪdiə/
Line 2
Oh,
what
does
it
mean?
/oʊ wʌt dʌz ɪt miːn/
Line 3
BASHVILLE.
Line 4
"The
Dutchman
went
to
grass,
a
beaten
man."
/ðə ˈdʌtʃmən went tuː ɡræs ə ˈbiːtən mæn/
Line 5
LYDIA.
/ˈlɪdiə/
Learner Dictionary
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.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading “"The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."”
Dutchman
noun
US /ˈdʌtʃmən/
a native or inhabitant of Holland
From this reading “"The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."”
shoot down, of birds
From this reading “"The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."”
lydia
noun
US /ˈlɪdiə/
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “LYDIA.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “"The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Oh, what does it mean?”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “"The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 15
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 "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
BASHVILLE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BASHVILLE.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Oh, what does it mean?
DutchmannounUS /ˈdʌtʃmən/
a native or inhabitant of Holland
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
shoot down, of birds
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Oh, what does it mean?
LYDIAnounUS /ˈlɪdiə/
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading LYDIA.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Oh, what does it mean?
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, what does it mean?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "The Dutchman went to grass, a beaten man."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Oh, what does it mean?
Chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville by Bernard Shaw holds 478 sentences, grouped into 96 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.
What does chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville contain?
Chapter 1 holds 478 sentences of The Admirable Bashville, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 478 sentences, grouped into 96 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.
How do I study chapter 1 of The Admirable Bashville?
Work through the 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 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.
Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading The Admirable Bashville
Common questions about reading The Admirable Bashville by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Admirable Bashville?
Yes. All 921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33085 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Admirable Bashville is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #33085, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Admirable Bashville take to read?
About 76 minutes of reading across 185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Admirable Bashville section by section
How to work through The Admirable Bashville section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
-
Open a chapter
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Admirable Bashville to begin.
-
Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
-
Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Admirable Bashville
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Admirable Bashville, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Lydia
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Admirable Bashville; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Bashville
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Admirable Bashville; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Dutchman
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Admirable Bashville; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Grass
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Admirable Bashville; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.