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 think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them. I haven't been out for two weeks. I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand. And it isn't twelve o'clock yet." All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
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 59/312 · 5 reading units · Lines 291–295
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.
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading “"They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.”
let fall to the ground
From this reading “I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.”
according to the clock
From this reading “And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."”
caught or fixed
From this reading “"They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.”
On the present night.
From this reading “I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “I haven't been out for two weeks.”
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 I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."
feeling or showing anger
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I haven't been out for two weeks.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
let fall to the ground
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
opinion or judgment
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I haven't been out for two weeks.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I haven't been out for two weeks.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
according to the clock
From this reading And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I haven't been out for two weeks.
cut with a saw
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
be standing; be upright
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
caught or fixed
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading All of a sudden Keith saw the cold, angry light go out of his mother's eyes.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
On the present night.
From this reading I haven't had a drop more tonight than I can stand.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I haven't been out for two weeks.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I haven't been out for two weeks.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "They think already that I am too stuck up to associate with them.
but in spite of that
From this reading And it isn't twelve o'clock yet."
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.
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.
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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.
