Chapter 5 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I could never do it in the world!" "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly. "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it. Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick. Oh, dear!
Chapter 5 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
without seeing or looking
From this reading “Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.”
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading “"I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.”
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading “Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.”
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading “"Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.”
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading “Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading “Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
react verbally
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
without seeing or looking
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
dearly loved
From this reading Oh, dear!
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
on the contrary
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I own it's difficult," said Elmore coldly.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Here,--here," she said, reaching blindly for pen and paper, as she seated herself at Elmore's desk, "give me the ink, quick.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
a source of difficulty
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Oh, _I_ will answer him--I will answer him," cried Lily, "rather than have any trouble about it.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "I could never do it in the world!"
Chapter 5 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories by William Dean Howells holds 454 sentences, grouped into 91 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 454 sentences of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 454 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2746 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20403 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20403, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 228 minutes of reading across 550 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories 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 Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
