Chapter 5 of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me. She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza. “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly. “Why didn’t you? You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
Chapter 5 of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
with boldness, in a bold manner
From this reading ““No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.”
in a breathless manner
From this reading ““No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.”
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading “You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.””
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading “She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading ““No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.”
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.””
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading “You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.””
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
with boldness, in a bold manner
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
in a breathless manner
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
destroyed or killed
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
cut with a saw
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “No, I didn’t,” I said boldly, if somewhat breathlessly.
in the near future
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
(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 VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You ought to have gone to the States if they were full at the Grand Union.”
in or at the place that
From this reading She did not quite call it across the street to me as I came up from where she sat on the piazza.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why didn’t you?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading VIII “WELL, did you get the rooms?” asked my wife as soon as she saw me.
Chapter 5 of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy by William Dean Howells holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Open-Eyed Conspiracy by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1925 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3051 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3051, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 160 minutes of reading across 385 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Open-Eyed Conspiracy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of An Open-Eyed Conspiracy 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 Open-Eyed Conspiracy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
