Chapter 5 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And then, of what use would it be to go? My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him. And my sister Louise? Where is she now? I do not know.
Chapter 5 of A Chambermaid's Diary is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
connected with or belonging to or used in a navy
From this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “And my sister Louise?”
the act of using
From this reading “And then, of what use would it be to go?”
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
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.
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
In this reading “My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.”
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 My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not know.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I do not know.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And my sister Louise?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
connected with or belonging to or used in a navy
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
information about recent and important events
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not know.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Where is she now?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Where is she now?
from a time in the past until now
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading And my sister Louise?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
the act of using
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
precisely as stated
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading My brother is in the naval service, and his vessel is in China, I believe, for it is a very long time since we had any news from him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
in or at the place that
From this reading Where is she now?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And then, of what use would it be to go?
Chapter 5 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of A Chambermaid's Diary, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44303 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44303, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1510 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Chambermaid's Diary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of A Chambermaid's Diary 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 Chambermaid's Diary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
