Chapter 1 of The Library of Work and Play is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Library of Work and Play is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened. A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room. The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys! Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night. Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.
Chapter 1 of The Library of Work and Play is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
From this reading “Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.”
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.”
informal terms for clothing
From this reading “The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!”
a strong current of air
From this reading “A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.”
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading “Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.”
in a literal sense
From this reading “A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.”
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading “Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.”
in a secure manner; in a manner free from danger
From this reading “Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.”
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 A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)
From this reading Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
informal terms for clothing
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
start firing a weapon
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
a strong current of air
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
a room where books are kept
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
in a literal sense
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
participate in games or sport
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
in a secure manner; in a manner free from danger
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
possessing sweep
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
propel through the air
From this reading Throw a fresh log on the fire, Albert.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Bar the door securely, Jay, for it's a wild night.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A gust of wind and rain literally swept five boys, wet and breathless, into the room.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading _The Library of Work and Play_ The door opened.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The man at the big oak table in front of a huge open fire looked up, smiled, and said, "Off with your duds, boys!
Chapter 1 of The Library of Work and Play by Ellen Eddy Shaw holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of The Library of Work and Play, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Library of Work and Play by Ellen Eddy Shaw exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Library of Work and Play by Ellen Eddy Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5992 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 499 minutes of reading across 1199 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Library of Work and Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Library of Work and Play 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 Library of Work and Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
