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.
Hold them so you support their spines. A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful. We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes. After that we can be scientific.” Fuji did not seem very keen.
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 35/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.”
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading “A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.”
shrubby Japanese cherry tree having pale pink blossoms
From this reading “Fuji did not seem very keen.”
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading “Fuji did not seem very keen.”
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading “After that we can be scientific.””
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “Fuji did not seem very keen.”
plural of “spine” — the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
From this reading “Hold them so you support their spines.”
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading “Hold them so you support their spines.”
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 A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
later than; following
From this reading After that we can be scientific.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading After that we can be scientific.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Fuji did not seem very keen.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
shrubby Japanese cherry tree having pale pink blossoms
From this reading Fuji did not seem very keen.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Fuji did not seem very keen.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Fuji did not seem very keen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
crude but effective for the purpose at hand
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
of or relating to the practice of science
From this reading After that we can be scientific.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Fuji did not seem very keen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
plural of “spine” — the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading After that we can be scientific.”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
up to a particular time
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
precisely as stated
From this reading A puppy's back is very delicate: you can't be too careful.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading After that we can be scientific.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll have to do things in a rough-and-ready way until Dr. Holt's book comes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Hold them so you support their spines.
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.
