Chapter 10 of The barber's chair is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The barber's chair is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor. Won’t cut nohow. _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was. The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first. But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
Chapter 10 of The barber's chair is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading “The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.”
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading “Won’t cut nohow.”
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “But what was to be expected from so many railroads?”
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading “The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.”
many times at short intervals
From this reading “_Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.”
plural of “railroad” — line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “But what was to be expected from so many railroads?”
edge tool used in shaving
From this reading “_Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.”
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
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.
look on as or consider
In this reading “The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Won’t cut nohow.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
the act of departing
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
a form of address for a man
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
in no manner; in no way
From this reading Won’t cut nohow.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
many times at short intervals
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
plural of “railroad” — line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
edge tool used in shaving
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what was to be expected from so many railroads?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Nutts._ (_Stropping razor._) Can’t think what’s come to my razor.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Won’t cut nohow.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world’s gettin’ old; and the iron, which we may look upon as the bones of the world, is going first.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Slowgoe._ I’ve often told you, Mr Nutts, nothing is as it was.
Chapter 10 of The barber's chair by Douglas William Jerrold holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 10 holds 112 sentences of The barber's chair, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The barber's chair by Douglas William Jerrold exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 10 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 barber's chair by Douglas William Jerrold on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3759 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 313 minutes of reading across 752 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The barber's chair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The barber's chair 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 barber's chair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
