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A Ladder of Swords
A Ladder of Swords

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of A Ladder of Swords is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Ladder of Swords
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?
Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?
Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?
God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”
She suddenly flushed to the eyes.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Ladder of Swords

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of A Ladder of Swords is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?
Line 2
Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?
/hæv juː ˈnevər siːn ðə flaɪ ənd ðə ˈspaɪdər ɪn ðə web/
Line 3
Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?
/duː juː nɑːt noʊ ðæt ðeɪ huː hæv ðə ˈpaʊər tuː bles ɔːr bæn tuː ɡɪv dʒɔɪ ɔːr wɪθˈhoʊld ɪt əˈpɪr tuː ɡɪv wen ðeɪ miːn tuː wɪθˈhoʊld/
Line 4
God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”
Line 5
She suddenly flushed to the eyes.
/ʃiː ˈsʌdənli flʌʃt tuː ðə aɪz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

ban verb US /bæn/

forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)

From this reading “Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?”

banished verb US /ˈbænɪʃt/

past form of “banish” — expel from a community or group

From this reading ““Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?”

flushed adjective US /flʌʃt/

having the pinkish flush of health

From this reading “She suddenly flushed to the eyes.”

innocence noun US /ˈɪnəsəns/

the quality of innocent naivete

From this reading “God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!””

involved adjective US /ˌɪnˈvɑːlvd/

connected by participation or association or use

From this reading “God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!””

spider noun US /ˈspaɪdər/

predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey

From this reading “Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?”

web noun US /web/

an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving

From this reading “Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?”

withhold verb US /wɪθˈhoʊld/

hold back; refuse to hand over or share

From this reading “Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

de la noun + noun

In this reading ““Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?”

banished from verb + particle counted as “banish from”

In this reading ““Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

banverbUS /bæn/

forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

banishedverbUS /ˈbænɪʃt/

past form of “banish” — expel from a community or group

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

blessverbUS /bles/

give a benediction to

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading She suddenly flushed to the eyes.

flushedadjectiveUS /flʌʃt/

having the pinkish flush of health

From this reading She suddenly flushed to the eyes.

flyverbUS /flaɪ/

travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

Forêt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

innocencenounUS /ˈɪnəsəns/

the quality of innocent naivete

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

involvedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈvɑːlvd/

connected by participation or association or use

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

judgmentnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/

an opinion formed by judging something

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

lanounUS /lɑː/

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

MonsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

palacenounUS /ˈpæləs/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She suddenly flushed to the eyes.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

spidernounUS /ˈspaɪdər/

predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading She suddenly flushed to the eyes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

webnounUS /web/

an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving

From this reading Have you never seen the fly and the spider in the web?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

withholdverbUS /wɪθˈhoʊld/

hold back; refuse to hand over or share

From this reading Do you not know that they who have the power to bless or ban, to give joy or withhold it, appear to give when they mean to withhold?

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Yet do you not think it strange,” he said, at last, “that Monsieur de la Forêt should be within the palace ever, and that you should be banished from the palace?

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading God bless us all--how has your innocence involved your judgment!”

Chapter 5 of A Ladder of Swords by Gilbert Parker holds 423 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.

What does chapter 5 of A Ladder of Swords contain?

Chapter 5 holds 423 sentences of A Ladder of Swords, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of A Ladder of Swords by Gilbert Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of A Ladder of Swords?

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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Ladder of Swords

Common questions about reading A Ladder of Swords by Gilbert Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Ladder of Swords?

Yes. All 2520 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41303 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Ladder of Swords is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41303, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Ladder of Swords take to read?

About 210 minutes of reading across 504 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Ladder of Swords section by section

How to work through A Ladder of Swords section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of A Ladder of Swords to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Ladder of Swords

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Ladder of Swords, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Every
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Ladder of Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Height
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Ladder of Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Repose
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Ladder of Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Still
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Ladder of Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.