Chapter 5 of A Poor Wise Man is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Poor Wise Man is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.” “So I presume,” observed old Anthony. “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume. I cannot see you.” His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
Chapter 5 of A Poor Wise Man is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading ““So I presume,” observed old Anthony.”
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading ““Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.”
not admitting of penetration or passage into or through
From this reading ““Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.”
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading ““Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.””
owed as a debt
From this reading ““Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.”
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading ““So I presume,” observed old Anthony.”
cover as if with a shroud
From this reading ““Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.”
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading ““Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.””
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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “So I presume,” observed old Anthony.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot see you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “So I presume,” observed old Anthony.
not admitting of penetration or passage into or through
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
immediately past
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “So I presume,” observed old Anthony.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “So I presume,” observed old Anthony.
and nothing more
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
owed as a debt
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “So I presume,” observed old Anthony.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I cannot see you.”
cover as if with a shroud
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So I presume,” observed old Anthony.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
(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 “Well, grandfather,” said Lily Cardew, “the last of the Cardews is home from the wars.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading His tone was less unpleasant than his words, however.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I cannot see you.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Owing, however, to your mother's determination to shroud this room in impenetrable gloom, I can only presume.
Chapter 5 of A Poor Wise Man by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 229 sentences, grouped into 46 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 229 sentences of A Poor Wise Man, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Poor Wise Man by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Poor Wise Man by Mary Roberts Rinehart on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10215 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1970, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2043 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Poor Wise Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Poor Wise Man 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 Poor Wise Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
