Chapter 1 of The Babees' Book is here in full — 491 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Babees' Book is here in full — 491 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add. MS. 31240, f. 4. NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
Chapter 1 of The Babees' Book is here in full — 491 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
changed in order to improve or made more fit for a particular purpose
From this reading “The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.”
many and different
From this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading “The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.”
plural of “meal” — the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
change to the contrary
From this reading “The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.”
the words of something written
From this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
plural of “treatise” — a formal exposition
From this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
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 “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
In this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
In this reading “NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.””
In this reading “The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.”
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 31240, f.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4.
changed in order to improve or made more fit for a particular purpose
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
in the past
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
brought together in one place
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
many and different
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading 31240, f.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
being ten more than thirty
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
English philologist who first proposed the Oxford English Dictionary (1825-1910)
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
someone who hunts game
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
social deportment
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
plural of “meal” — the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers
From this reading MS.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
change to the contrary
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
the words of something written
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
arousing affect
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
plural of “treatise” — a formal exposition
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The engraved title on the reverse of this page was adapted by Miss Blanche C. Hunter from B.M. Add.
a late time of life
From this reading NEARLY forty years ago, Dr. Furnivall collected for the Early English Text Society “divers treatises touching the Manners and Meals of Englishmen in former days.”
Chapter 1 of The Babees' Book by Frederick James [Compiler] Furnivall holds 491 sentences, grouped into 99 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 491 sentences of The Babees' Book, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Babees' Book by Frederick James [Compiler] Furnivall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 491 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Babees' Book by Frederick James [Compiler] Furnivall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2014 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58985 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58985, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 167 minutes of reading across 403 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Babees' Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Babees' Book 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 Babees' Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
