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.
"You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply. "Least of all when the boy hears it." Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says. Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you. He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
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 77/312 · 5 reading units · Lines 381–385
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 mother of your father or mother
From this reading “He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.”
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “"Least of all when the boy hears it."”
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.”
and nothing more
From this reading “Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “"You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.”
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.
anew
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
(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 "Least of all when the boy hears it."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Least of all when the boy hears it."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Least of all when the boy hears it."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Least of all when the boy hears it."
and nothing more
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Least of all when the boy hears it."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
and nothing more
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Least of all when the boy hears it."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He loves you just as much as I do--or your grandmother.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Then she turned to Keith again: "Don't you believe what Granny says.
at the time that
From this reading "Least of all when the boy hears it."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You must not talk like that, mamma," said the mother sharply.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your father is merely thinking of what is good for you.
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.
