Chapter 5 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative. O yes, such a superior person as she is! But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for. Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly. "What the deuce do you mean now?"
Chapter 5 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice is here in full — 437 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
feeling or expressive of gratitude
From this reading “"Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.”
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading “"What the deuce do you mean now?"”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “"What the deuce do you mean now?"”
a human being
From this reading “O yes, such a superior person as she is!”
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.”
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading “O yes, such a superior person as she is!”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading “Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.”
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 “O yes, such a superior person as she is!”
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 O yes, such a superior person as she is!
(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 Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.
feeling or expressive of gratitude
From this reading "Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading "What the deuce do you mean now?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What the deuce do you mean now?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What the deuce do you mean now?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "What the deuce do you mean now?"
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
a human being
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
like or characteristic of or befitting a sister
From this reading "Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading O yes, such a superior person as she is!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What the deuce do you mean now?"
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
precisely as stated
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Jane is all very well in her way, but----" He turned on me suddenly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, and so sisterly and appreciative.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What the deuce do you mean now?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But see here, Jim; that's not what you're here for.
Chapter 5 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird holds 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 437 sentences of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 437 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Pessimist in Theory and Practice by Frederic Mayer Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4168 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26847 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26847, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 834 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Pessimist in Theory and Practice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of A Pessimist in Theory and Practice 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 Pessimist in Theory and Practice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
