Chapter 5 of A Crooked Mile is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Crooked Mile is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nor did he hesitate. Amory had turned on the sofa. "Edgar!" she had called softly again. He swung round. The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
Chapter 5 of A Crooked Mile is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
give a description of
From this reading “The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.”
the younger brother of Edwy who became king of Northumbria when it renounced Edwy; on Edwy's death he succeeded to the throne of England (944-975)
From this reading “"Edgar!" she had called softly again.”
made afraid
From this reading “The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.”
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “Nor did he hesitate.”
the property of being untamed and ferocious
From this reading “The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Amory had turned on the sofa.”
with low volume
From this reading “"Edgar!" she had called softly again.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “He swung round.”
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.
In this reading “He swung round.”
In this reading “Amory had turned on the sofa.”
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.
anew
From this reading "Edgar!" she had called softly again.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Amory had turned on the sofa.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Edgar!" she had called softly again.
give a description of
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Nor did he hesitate.
the younger brother of Edwy who became king of Northumbria when it renounced Edwy; on Edwy's death he succeeded to the throne of England (944-975)
From this reading "Edgar!" she had called softly again.
made afraid
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Amory had turned on the sofa.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nor did he hesitate.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Nor did he hesitate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
not any; not one
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor did he hesitate.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Amory had turned on the sofa.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He swung round.
the property of being untamed and ferocious
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Edgar!" she had called softly again.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Amory had turned on the sofa.
with low volume
From this reading "Edgar!" she had called softly again.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He swung round.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Amory had turned on the sofa.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Amory had turned on the sofa.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The savagery of his reply--there seemed to Amory to be no other word to describe it--almost frightened her.
Chapter 5 of A Crooked Mile by Oliver Onions holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of A Crooked Mile, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Crooked Mile by Oliver Onions exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Crooked Mile by Oliver Onions on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37584 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37584, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 960 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Crooked Mile section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Crooked Mile 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 Crooked Mile, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
