Chapter 1 of The Green Eyes of Bâst is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Green Eyes of Bâst is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and: "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?" I asked. Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied: "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
Chapter 1 of The Green Eyes of Bâst is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:”
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading “When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “"Not since a little before midnight, sir."”
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:”
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:”
a drug that reduces excitability and calms a person
From this reading “Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:”
free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
From this reading “Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:”
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 When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
(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 Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
aroused or activated
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
make calm or still
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
the literary culture
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
a drug that reduces excitability and calms a person
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Not since a little before midnight, sir."
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Has there been any rain during the night, Coates?"
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
at the time that
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
belonging to which person
From this reading Coates, whose unruffled calm at all times provided an excellent sedative, replied:
in the company of; together with
From this reading When Coates brought in my tea, newspapers and letters in the morning, I awakened with a start, and:
Chapter 1 of The Green Eyes of Bâst by Sax Rohmer holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 131 sentences of The Green Eyes of Bâst, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Green Eyes of Bâst by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Green Eyes of Bâst by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3887 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 778 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Green Eyes of Bâst section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Green Eyes of Bâst 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 Green Eyes of Bâst, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
