Chapter 5 of A Padre in France is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Padre in France is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety. They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find. They put feathers in their hats. They sewed gold braid on their coats. They hung sparkling metal about their persons.
Chapter 5 of A Padre in France is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading “They sewed gold braid on their coats.”
superlative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.”
plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “They sewed gold braid on their coats.”
plural of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother
From this reading “KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.”
of a yellowish brown color
From this reading “KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.”
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading “They hung sparkling metal about their persons.”
an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading
From this reading “KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.”
fastened with stitches
From this reading “They sewed gold braid on their coats.”
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 KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They hung sparkling metal about their persons.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading They sewed gold braid on their coats.
superlative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading They sewed gold braid on their coats.
a distinguishing emblem
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
plural of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading They put feathers in their hats.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
a gay feeling
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
coins made of gold
From this reading They sewed gold braid on their coats.
plural of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading They put feathers in their hats.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading They hung sparkling metal about their persons.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
of a yellowish brown color
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading They hung sparkling metal about their persons.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They sewed gold braid on their coats.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading They hung sparkling metal about their persons.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They put feathers in their hats.
an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
fastened with stitches
From this reading They sewed gold braid on their coats.
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading They hung sparkling metal about their persons.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They put feathers in their hats.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading KHAKI War must always have been a miserable business; but our fathers and grandfathers had the sense to give it an outward semblance of gaiety.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They went forth to battle dressed in the brightest colours they could find.
Chapter 5 of A Padre in France by George A. Birmingham holds 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 184 sentences of A Padre in France, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Padre in France by George A. Birmingham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Padre in France by George A. Birmingham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3664 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28241 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28241, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Padre in France section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Padre in France 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 Padre in France, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
