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A Splendid Hazard
A Splendid Hazard

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of A Splendid Hazard is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Splendid Hazard
Context Illustration Reading 1/48 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!
If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.
But there she was vanishing beyond the door.
There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.
He dared not call her back.
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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 Splendid Hazard

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of A Splendid Hazard is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/48 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!
/noʊ fɔːls priˈtensɪz ə ˈpraɪvət ˈsekrəteri ənd ˈoʊnli wʌn weɪ aʊt/
Line 2
If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.
/ɪf ðə ɡɜːrl hæd bɪn kaɪnd ɪˈnʌf tuː stænd hɜːr ɡraʊnd wɪð hɪm hiː wʊd nɑːt hæv kerd soʊ mʌtʃ/
Line 3
But there she was vanishing beyond the door.
/bʌt ðer ʃiː wɑːz ˈvænɪʃɪŋ bɪˈɑːnd ðə dɔːr/
Line 4
There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.
/ðer wɑːz ə səˈdʒestʃən ʌv ˈfiːlaɪn ˈkruːlti ɪn ðʌs əˈbændənɪŋ hɪm/
Line 5
He dared not call her back.
/hiː derd nɑːt kɔːl hɜːr bæk/

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.

abandoning verb US /əˈbændənɪŋ/

-ing form of “abandon” — forsake, leave behind

From this reading “There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.”

cared verb US /kerd/

past form of “care” — feel concern or interest

From this reading “If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.”

cruelty noun US /ˈkruːlti/

a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering

From this reading “There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.”

feline adjective US /ˈfiːlaɪn/

of or relating to cats

From this reading “There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.”

pretenses noun US /priˈtensɪz/

plural of “pretense” — the act of giving a false appearance

From this reading “NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!”

secretary noun US /ˈsekrəteri/

a person who is head of an administrative department of government

From this reading “NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!”

suggestion noun US /səˈdʒestʃən/

an idea that is suggested

From this reading “There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.”

vanishing noun US /ˈvænɪʃɪŋ/

a sudden or mysterious disappearance

From this reading “But there she was vanishing beyond the door.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

abandoningverbUS /əˈbændənɪŋ/

-ing form of “abandon” — forsake, leave behind

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He dared not call her back.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading He dared not call her back.

caredverbUS /kerd/

past form of “care” — feel concern or interest

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

crueltynounUS /ˈkruːlti/

a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

daredverbUS /derd/

past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

From this reading He dared not call her back.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

FALSEadjectiveUS /fɔːls/

not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

felineadjectiveUS /ˈfiːlaɪn/

of or relating to cats

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/

the solid part of the earth's surface

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

NOdeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

PRETENSESnounUS /priˈtensɪz/

plural of “pretense” — the act of giving a false appearance

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

privateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

secretarynounUS /ˈsekrəteri/

a person who is head of an administrative department of government

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

suggestionnounUS /səˈdʒestʃən/

an idea that is suggested

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

thusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading There was a suggestion of feline cruelty in thus abandoning him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

vanishingnounUS /ˈvænɪʃɪŋ/

a sudden or mysterious disappearance

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading But there she was vanishing beyond the door.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading NO FALSE PRETENSES A private secretary, and only one way out!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading If the girl had been kind enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.

Chapter 5 of A Splendid Hazard by Harold MacGrath holds 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 Splendid Hazard contain?

Chapter 5 holds 241 sentences of A Splendid Hazard, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of A Splendid Hazard by Harold MacGrath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 Splendid Hazard?

Work through the 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 49 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 Splendid Hazard

Common questions about reading A Splendid Hazard by Harold MacGrath on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Splendid Hazard?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Splendid Hazard is used?

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

How long does A Splendid Hazard take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Splendid Hazard section by section

How to work through A Splendid Hazard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of A Splendid Hazard 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 Splendid Hazard

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Splendid Hazard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of A Splendid Hazard, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of A Splendid Hazard, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of A Splendid Hazard, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.