Chapter 5 of All the Brothers Were Valiant is here in full — 483 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of All the Brothers Were Valiant is here in full — 483 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain. For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white. Then he said quietly: "You shall not go. The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters. The pearls stay where they are."
Chapter 5 of All the Brothers Were Valiant is here in full — 483 sentences across 97 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/96 · 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.
possessive form of “joel” — a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading “There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.”
plural of “pearl” — a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading “The pearls stay where they are."”
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading “The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.”
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.”
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading “There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.”
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 There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The pearls stay where they are."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
possessive form of “joel” — a Hebrew minor prophet
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
not any; not one
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
above and across; more than
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
plural of “pearl” — a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading The pearls stay where they are."
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
with low volume
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading The _Nathan Ross_ goes on about her proper matters.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
cut with a saw
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The pearls stay where they are."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading There may have been, but no man spoke; and over Joel's face passed a weary little shadow of pain.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
in or at the place that
From this reading The pearls stay where they are."
a Caucasian
From this reading For a long moment he stood in the sun, studying them; and they saw his lips were white.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then he said quietly: "You shall not go.
Chapter 5 of All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams holds 483 sentences, grouped into 97 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 483 sentences of All the Brothers Were Valiant, unabridged, divided into 97 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 483 sentences, grouped into 97 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 97 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 97 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 All the Brothers Were Valiant by Ben Ames Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2392 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 479 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through All the Brothers Were Valiant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of All the Brothers Were Valiant 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 All the Brothers Were Valiant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
