Chapter 5 of Backlog Studies is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Backlog Studies is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MANDEVILLE. Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath. It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them. HERBERT. But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
Chapter 5 of Backlog Studies is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
marked by refinement in taste and manners
From this reading “Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.”
an excavation for ore or precious stones or for archaeology
From this reading “It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.”
producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect
From this reading “It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “HERBERT.”
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading “Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.”
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading “It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.”
in a studious manner
From this reading “Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.”
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading “Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
make calm or still
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
marked by refinement in taste and manners
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
an excavation for ore or precious stones or for archaeology
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
start firing a weapon
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading HERBERT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MANDEVILLE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
in a studious manner
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there is more in Mandeville's idea.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It takes them to give the most effective "little digs;" they know how to stick in the pine-splinters and set fire to them.
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading Oh, these studiously calm and cultured people may have malice underneath.
Chapter 5 of Backlog Studies by Charles Dudley Warner holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 171 sentences of Backlog Studies, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Backlog Studies by Charles Dudley Warner exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Backlog Studies by Charles Dudley Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2520 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3134 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3134, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 210 minutes of reading across 504 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Backlog Studies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Backlog Studies 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 Backlog Studies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
