Chapter 5 of Brave Tom is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Brave Tom is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words. "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them. "Look for yourselves." The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior. Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
Chapter 5 of Brave Tom is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading “The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.”
marked by or given to doubt
From this reading “The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.”
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading “The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.”
plural of “opening” — an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.”
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.”
a shed for storing firewood or garden tools
From this reading “The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.”
used when the people spoken to are both doing and receiving the action
From this reading “"Look for yourselves."”
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 horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
marked by or given to doubt
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Look for yourselves."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look for yourselves."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
amounting to a large indefinite number
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
plural of “opening” — an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
-ing form of “place” — put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
with speed
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
put a saddle on
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Placing his eyes at one of these openings, he peered through.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
male cat
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
belonging to which person
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
a shed for storing firewood or garden tools
From this reading The horseman was out of the saddle in a twinkling, and walked quickly to the woodshed, whose cracks were so numerous that it was easy to see every part of the interior.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The men looked at Tom Gordon as if doubting his words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you in earnest?" asked one of them.
used when the people spoken to are both doing and receiving the action
From this reading "Look for yourselves."
Chapter 5 of Brave Tom by Edward Sylvester Ellis holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 78 sentences of Brave Tom, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Brave Tom by Edward Sylvester Ellis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Brave Tom by Edward Sylvester Ellis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2529 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11978 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11978, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 210 minutes of reading across 506 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brave Tom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Brave Tom 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 Brave Tom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
