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.
Everybody liked your great-grandfather...." "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking. "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on." "Please," Keith pleaded. "I won't!"
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 109/312 · 5 reading units · Lines 541–545
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.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading “"What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.”
every person
From this reading “Everybody liked your great-grandfather...."”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “"What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.”
make a break in
From this reading “"Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."”
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading “"Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."”
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading “Everybody liked your great-grandfather...."”
past form of “plead” — appeal or request earnestly
From this reading “"Please," Keith pleaded.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"Please," Keith pleaded.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
every person
From this reading Everybody liked your great-grandfather...."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Everybody liked your great-grandfather...."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I won't!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
make a break in
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading Everybody liked your great-grandfather...."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
past form of “plead” — appeal or request earnestly
From this reading "Please," Keith pleaded.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Please," Keith pleaded.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What was his name," Keith couldn't help asking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I won't!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Lack," she said, "and now you mustn't interrupt me any more if you want me to go on."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Everybody liked your great-grandfather...."
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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Soul of a Child, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
