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.
"Why should you be," asked Granny. Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it. Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free. "What's that for," he asked, pointing to the door. "In case of fire," said Granny.
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 147/312 · 5 reading units · Lines 731–735
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.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading “Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.”
twice as great or many
From this reading “Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.”
firmly closed or secured
From this reading “Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.”
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading “Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “"Why should you be," asked Granny.”
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading “Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.”
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “"What's that for," he asked, pointing to the door.”
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 Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why should you be," asked Granny.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why should you be," asked Granny.
an occurrence of something
From this reading "In case of fire," said Granny.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
twice as great or many
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "In case of fire," said Granny.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What's that for," he asked, pointing to the door.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading "Why should you be," asked Granny.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
go away from a place
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
being perceived or observed
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading "What's that for," he asked, pointing to the door.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "In case of fire," said Granny.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Why should you be," asked Granny.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What's that for," he asked, pointing to the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he noticed the tall iron door fastened to one side of the arch in front of it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now it was doubled up length-wise and folded back so as to leave the passage free.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's that for," he asked, pointing to the door.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why should you be," asked Granny.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why should you be," asked Granny.
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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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Soul of a Child, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
