Chapter 1 of The bacillus of beauty is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The bacillus of beauty is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD. Both girls ran to the window. Miss Reid laughed teasingly. "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller." I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
Chapter 1 of The bacillus of beauty is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.”
a social or business visitor
From this reading “"I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “"I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."”
Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)
From this reading “Miss Reid laughed teasingly.”
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading “I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.”
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading “I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.”
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 "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
(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 "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both girls ran to the window.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
a social or business visitor
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Both girls ran to the window.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Miss Reid laughed teasingly.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Reid laughed teasingly.
used to form the superlative
From this reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
no person; not anyone
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Both girls ran to the window.
Scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of David Hume (1710-1796)
From this reading Miss Reid laughed teasingly.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
Identical; not different.
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
in a playfully teasing manner
From this reading Miss Reid laughed teasingly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Both girls ran to the window.
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Both girls ran to the window.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I rose from behind the desk with some confused, trivial thought that I ought to have spent part of the afternoon getting my hair cut.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I see nobody--or all the world; it's much the same," she said; "but you have a caller."
Chapter 1 of The bacillus of beauty by Harriet Stark holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 203 sentences of The bacillus of beauty, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The bacillus of beauty by Harriet Stark exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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.
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Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9081, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The bacillus of beauty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The bacillus of beauty 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 bacillus of beauty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
