Chapter 5 of A Singular Life is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of A Singular Life is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice. He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment. One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared. Men swore and women shrieked. In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
Chapter 5 of A Singular Life is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
plural of “cart” — a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading “He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.”
loud confused noise from many sources
From this reading “One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.”
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading “In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.”
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading “One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading ““Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.”
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading “Men swore and women shrieked.”
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading “In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.”
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 ““Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.”
In this reading “He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.”
In this reading “One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.”
In this reading “He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.”
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 “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
plural of “cart” — a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
made afraid
From this reading One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.
loud confused noise from many sources
From this reading One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men swore and women shrieked.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
a particular point in time
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
above and across; more than
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading One of the horses became frightened at the hubbub and reared.
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading Men swore and women shrieked.
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He sprang into one of the carts, and it filled in a moment.
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Men swore and women shrieked.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Pile in, boys!” cried the minister, in a ringing voice.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading In the momentary delay, a hand reached over the wheel, and plucked at Bayard’s sleeve.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Men swore and women shrieked.
Chapter 5 of A Singular Life by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 396 sentences of A Singular Life, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of A Singular Life by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Singular Life by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6968 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 580 minutes of reading across 1394 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Singular Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of A Singular Life 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 Singular Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
