Chapter 1 of The blue wall is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The blue wall is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What's behind this wall? As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question. What's behind it? My neighbors? Then what do I know--really know--of them?
Chapter 1 of The blue wall is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.”
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading “My neighbors?”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Then what do I know--really know--of them?”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.”
possessive form of “surgeon” — a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.”
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “What's behind this wall?”
produce a literary work
From this reading “As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading What's behind this wall?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What's behind it?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading My neighbors?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
possessive form of “surgeon” — a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What's behind this wall?
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading What's behind this wall?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Then what do I know--really know--of them?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's behind this wall?
produce a literary work
From this reading As I write, here in my surgeon's study, I ask myself that question.
Chapter 1 of The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 268 sentences of The blue wall, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 blue wall by Richard Washburn Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24451 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24451, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1060 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The blue wall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The blue wall 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 wall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
