Chapter 1 of Where the Blue Begins is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Where the Blue Begins is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His face was inscrutable. Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly. He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby. Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again. When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
Chapter 1 of Where the Blue Begins is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 27/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 131–135
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.
in an accurate manner
From this reading “Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.”
shrubby Japanese cherry tree having pale pink blossoms
From this reading “He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.”
a humming noise
From this reading “He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “His face was inscrutable.”
a quiet song intended to lull a child to sleep
From this reading “He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.”
plural of “mouse” — any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading “Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.”
plural of “puppy” — a young dog
From this reading “Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.”
past form of “tiptoe” — walk on one's toes
From this reading “When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.”
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 He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
anew
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
in an accurate manner
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
on a floor below
From this reading When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was inscrutable.
shrubby Japanese cherry tree having pale pink blossoms
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
destroyed or killed
From this reading When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face was inscrutable.
a humming noise
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
of an obscure nature
From this reading His face was inscrutable.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
a quiet song intended to lull a child to sleep
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
plural of “mouse” — any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
a child's room for a baby
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
and nothing more
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
above and across; more than
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
plural of “puppy” — a young dog
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
To recall to mind.
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
the state of being asleep
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three Blind Mice was the only nursery song he could remember, and he sang it over and over again.
past form of “tiptoe” — walk on one's toes
From this reading When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
up to a particular time
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was inscrutable.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Gissing sat by the spare-room bed until he was sure the puppies were sleeping correctly.
at the time that
From this reading When he tiptoed downstairs, Fuji had gone to bed.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He closed the door so that Fuji would not hear him humming a lullaby.
Chapter 1 of Where the Blue Begins by Christopher Morley holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 199 sentences of Where the Blue Begins, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Where the Blue Begins by Christopher Morley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Where the Blue Begins by Christopher Morley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2507 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1402 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1402, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Where the Blue Begins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Where the Blue Begins 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 Where the Blue Begins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
