Chapter 5 of Blake's Burden is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Blake's Burden is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use. "Why, Blake!" he cried. "What have you got on? Have you been serenading somebody?"
Chapter 5 of Blake's Burden is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading “"Why, Blake!" he cried.”
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading “KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.”
29th President of the United States; two of his appointees were involved in the Teapot Dome scandal (1865-1823)
From this reading “KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.”
plural of “mitten” — glove that encases the thumb separately and the other four fingers together
From this reading “KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.”
out of fashion
From this reading “KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.”
-ing form of “serenade” — sing and play for somebody
From this reading “Have you been serenading somebody?"”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.”
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 KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Have you been serenading somebody?"
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading "Why, Blake!" he cried.
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Why, Blake!" he cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "What have you got on?
29th President of the United States; two of his appointees were involved in the Teapot Dome scandal (1865-1823)
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What have you got on?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why, Blake!" he cried.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
plural of “mitten” — glove that encases the thumb separately and the other four fingers together
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
out of fashion
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "What have you got on?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
-ing form of “serenade” — sing and play for somebody
From this reading Have you been serenading somebody?"
a person, without saying who
From this reading Have you been serenading somebody?"
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the act of using
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What have you got on?
at the time that
From this reading KEITH GETS A SURPRISE Harding was taking out a cigar in the vestibule when a man brushed past him wearing big mittens and a loose black cloak such as old-fashioned French-Canadians sometimes use.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Blake!" he cried.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What have you got on?
Chapter 5 of Blake's Burden by Harold Bindloss holds 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 248 sentences of Blake's Burden, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Blake's Burden by Harold Bindloss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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.
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Yes. All 5536 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29155, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 461 minutes of reading across 1108 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blake's Burden section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Blake's Burden to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Blake's Burden, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
