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.
Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else. The children were naked. Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use. There must be something to hide. What could it be?
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 74/188 · 5 reading units · Lines 366–370
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 covering designed to be worn on a person's body
From this reading “Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.”
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “There must be something to hide.”
tropical Asian starlings
From this reading “Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.”
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading “Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.”
completely unclothed
From this reading “The children were naked.”
undergarment worn under a skirt
From this reading “Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.”
a separate part of a whole
From this reading “Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.”
be dressed in
From this reading “Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.”
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 Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There must be something to hide.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children were naked.
a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
divisible by two
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading There must be something to hide.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What could it be?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
tropical Asian starlings
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading There must be something to hide.
completely unclothed
From this reading The children were naked.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
undergarment worn under a skirt
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There must be something to hide.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There must be something to hide.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Her movement turned Keith's attention to the petticoat, and suddenly he could think of nothing else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
the act of using
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
be dressed in
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The children were naked.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could it be?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why should Mina wear a piece of clothing that even Keith could see was quite unfitted for such a use.
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.
