Chapter 5 of Cane is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Cane is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him. Dorris: I bet he can love. Hell, he cant love. He’s too skinny. His lips are too skinny.
Chapter 5 of Cane is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “Dorris: I bet he can love.”
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading “Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.”
stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition
From this reading “Hell, he cant love.”
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “Hell, he cant love.”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “His lips are too skinny.”
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading “Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.”
being very thin
From this reading “He’s too skinny.”
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading “Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.”
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.
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 Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His lips are too skinny.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading Dorris: I bet he can love.
To consume or be consumed by fire.
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Dorris: I bet he can love.
stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition
From this reading Hell, he cant love.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dorris: I bet he can love.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s too skinny.
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading Hell, he cant love.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His lips are too skinny.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Dorris: I bet he can love.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His lips are too skinny.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Dorris: I bet he can love.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
being very thin
From this reading He’s too skinny.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dorris’ eyes burn across the space of seats to him.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He’s too skinny.
Chapter 5 of Cane by Jean Toomer holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Cane, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Cane by Jean Toomer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Cane by Jean Toomer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60093, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 300 minutes of reading across 722 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cane section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Cane 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 Cane, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
