Chapter 1 of The Affectionate Shepherd is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Affectionate Shepherd is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RICHARD BARNFIELD. JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON. M.R.I.A., HON. M.R.S.L., F.S.A., ETC. LONDON.
Chapter 1 of The Affectionate Shepherd is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “LONDON.”
garden consisting of a small cultivated wood without undergrowth
From this reading “JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.”
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 M.R.I.A., HON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RICHARD BARNFIELD.
a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading M.R.S.L., F.S.A., ETC.
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading M.R.I.A., HON.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading M.R.S.L., F.S.A., ETC.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading M.R.I.A., HON.
garden consisting of a small cultivated wood without undergrowth
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RICHARD BARNFIELD.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. HON.
Chapter 1 of The Affectionate Shepherd by Richard Barnfield holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of The Affectionate Shepherd, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Affectionate Shepherd by Richard Barnfield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 The Affectionate Shepherd by Richard Barnfield on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19902 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19902, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 35 minutes of reading across 85 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Affectionate Shepherd section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of The Affectionate Shepherd 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 The Affectionate Shepherd, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
