Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child is here in full — 942 sentences across 189 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 — 942 sentences across 189 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones: "When will the snow come?" It was always a tedious time for Keith. The incident with Harald made it worse this year. Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child is here in full — 942 sentences across 189 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 18/188 · 5 reading units · Lines 86–90
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 act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading “Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.”
every day; without missing a day
From this reading “Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.”
a single distinct event
From this reading “The incident with Harald made it worse this year.”
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading “Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “It was always a tedious time for Keith.”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:”
in essence or effect but not in fact
From this reading “Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.”
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 It was always a tedious time for Keith.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "When will the snow come?"
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
every day; without missing a day
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
apart from; not including
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
a single distinct event
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
an educational institution
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading "When will the snow come?"
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
in essence or effect but not in fact
From this reading Except for the daily attendance at school, he was virtually a prisoner.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was always a tedious time for Keith.
at the time that
From this reading "When will the snow come?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "When will the snow come?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Meeting on the streets, they would cry in irritable tones:
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading The incident with Harald made it worse this year.
Chapter 1 of The Soul of a Child by Edwin Björkman holds 942 sentences, grouped into 189 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 942 sentences of The Soul of a Child, unabridged, divided into 189 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 942 sentences, grouped into 189 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 189 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 189 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 2796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12283 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12283, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 233 minutes of reading across 560 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 3 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.
