Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child is here in full — 1561 sentences across 313 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child is here in full — 1561 sentences across 313 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again. And so she became what you see her now...." "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in. "Yes, that's what I mean," she agreed. Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child is here in full — 1561 sentences across 313 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 107/312 · 5 reading units · Lines 531–535
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.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “"Yes, that's what I mean," she agreed.”
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “And so she became what you see her now...."”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “"You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “"You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:”
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading “They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.”
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.
anew
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "Yes, that's what I mean," she agreed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, that's what I mean," she agreed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
and nothing more
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "You mean she just couldn't help herself," Keith put in.
precisely, exactly
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, that's what I mean," she agreed.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading They twisted Granny's life so that it could never be set right again.
precisely as stated
From this reading Then she stopped as if struck by another thought, and said very slowly:
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, that's what I mean," she agreed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And so she became what you see her now...."
Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child by Edwin Björkman holds 1561 sentences, grouped into 313 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 1561 sentences of The Soul of a Child, unabridged, divided into 313 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child by Edwin Björkman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1561 sentences, grouped into 313 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 313 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 313 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 Soul of a Child by Edwin Björkman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Soul of a Child section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Soul of a Child 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 Soul of a Child, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
