Chapter 5 of A Book of Nimble Beasts is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Book of Nimble Beasts is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He started burrowing straightway. "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind. "Don't rush! It's death to rush!" And yet it was his rush that saved him.
Chapter 5 of A Book of Nimble Beasts is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “"Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.”
-ing form of “burrow” — move through by or as by digging
From this reading “He started burrowing straightway.”
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “It's death to rush!"”
an unusually small individual
From this reading “"Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.”
move hurridly
From this reading “"Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.”
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading “And yet it was his rush that saved him.”
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “"Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “He started burrowing straightway.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.
-ing form of “burrow” — move through by or as by digging
From this reading He started burrowing straightway.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It's death to rush!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He started burrowing straightway.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's death to rush!"
an unusually small individual
From this reading "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.
move hurridly
From this reading "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He started burrowing straightway.
at once
From this reading He started burrowing straightway.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It's death to rush!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet it was his rush that saved him.
Chapter 5 of A Book of Nimble Beasts by Douglas English holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 5 holds 421 sentences of A Book of Nimble Beasts, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Book of Nimble Beasts by Douglas English exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 5 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 A Book of Nimble Beasts by Douglas English on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55097 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55097, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 431 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Book of Nimble Beasts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of A Book of Nimble Beasts 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 A Book of Nimble Beasts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
