Chapter 5 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Lad was a great comfort to me. I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house. He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body. There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me. Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
Chapter 5 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading “He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.”
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading “The Lad was a great comfort to me.”
intentionally conceived
From this reading “I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.”
a boy or man
From this reading “The Lad was a great comfort to me.”
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading “Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.”
an American who lives in the South
From this reading “He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.”
possessive form of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
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 “I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.”
In this reading “He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.”
In this reading “The Lad was a great comfort to me.”
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 The Lad was a great comfort to me.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
intentionally conceived
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
a boy or man
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading Perhaps it was his resolute mouth and a certain air of high-mindedness.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading I had for several days been conscious of the presence of a new-comer in the house.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me.
an American who lives in the South
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
possessive form of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something in the stranger’s face that pleased me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Lad was a great comfort to me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He was a young Southerner, with fine dark eyes, and extraordinary alertness of body.
Chapter 5 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood holds 33 sentences, grouped into 7 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 33 sentences of An Experiment in Altruism, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 33 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Experiment in Altruism section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of An Experiment in Altruism 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 An Experiment in Altruism, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
