Chapter 1 of The Tin Soldier is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Tin Soldier is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river. The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner. A lamp-post offered safe harbor. He steered for it and took his bearings. On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
Chapter 1 of The Tin Soldier is here in full — 352 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
plural of “bearing” — relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading “He steered for it and took his bearings.”
a slight suggestion or vague understanding
From this reading “On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.”
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading “A lamp-post offered safe harbor.”
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading “On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.”
past form of “navigate” — travel on water propelled by wind or by other means
From this reading “The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.”
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading “The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.”
past form of “steer” — direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading “He steered for it and took his bearings.”
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 The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He steered for it and took his bearings.
plural of “bearing” — relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading He steered for it and took his bearings.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He steered for it and took his bearings.
a man of refinement
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
a slight suggestion or vague understanding
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading A lamp-post offered safe harbor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He steered for it and took his bearings.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A lamp-post offered safe harbor.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
past form of “navigate” — travel on water propelled by wind or by other means
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading A lamp-post offered safe harbor.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading A lamp-post offered safe harbor.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
past form of “steer” — direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading He steered for it and took his bearings.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He steered for it and took his bearings.
in an unsteady manner
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
up to a particular time
From this reading The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner.
Chapter 1 of The Tin Soldier by Temple Bailey holds 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 352 sentences of The Tin Soldier, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Tin Soldier by Temple Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 352 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 Tin Soldier by Temple Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7499 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18056 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18056, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1500 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tin Soldier section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Tin Soldier 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 Tin Soldier, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
