Chapter 25 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes. They were strewn about the floor and on chairs. The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses. My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me. I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
Chapter 25 of The Blue Germ is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading “I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.”
trimming used to decorate clothes or curtains
From this reading “My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.”
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading “My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.”
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading “I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.”
consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading “OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.”
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading “My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.”
a long, loose outer garment
From this reading “My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.”
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading “They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.”
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.
a man's coat having knee-length skirts front and back; worn in the 19th century
In this reading “My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.”
In this reading “They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
trimming used to decorate clothes or curtains
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
clothing in general
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
a long, loose outer garment
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses.
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading OUR FLIGHT I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I counted the number of separate things that made up my complete attire.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were strewn about the floor and on chairs.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me.
Chapter 25 of The Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll holds 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 25 holds 86 sentences of The Blue Germ, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 25 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 Blue Germ by Maurice Nicoll on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26852 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26852, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blue Germ section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Blue Germ 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 Blue Germ, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
