Chapter 5 of Captures is here in full — 407 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 Captures is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth. Could she ever have felt for him as he for her? Did women ever know such consuming fires? Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders. She had seemed to; but--how tell?
Chapter 5 of Captures is here in full — 407 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.
very strong; urgently felt
From this reading “Did women ever know such consuming fires?”
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading “Did women ever know such consuming fires?”
relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail
From this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders.”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
a sudden or mysterious disappearance
From this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
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.
In this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
In this reading “Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.”
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 Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She had seemed to; but--how tell?
very strong; urgently felt
From this reading Did women ever know such consuming fires?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did women ever know such consuming fires?
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
at any time
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading Did women ever know such consuming fires?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Could she ever have felt for him as he for her?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had seemed to; but--how tell?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Did women ever know such consuming fires?
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She had seemed to; but--how tell?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Did women ever know such consuming fires?
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
express in words
From this reading She had seemed to; but--how tell?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had seemed to; but--how tell?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Trevillian shrugged his thin shoulders.
having passed out of existence
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
a sudden or mysterious disappearance
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like that lizard whisking its tail and vanishing beneath the dead dry leaves, so she had vanished--as if into the earth.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Did women ever know such consuming fires?
Chapter 5 of Captures by John Galsworthy holds 407 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 407 sentences of Captures, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Captures by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 Captures by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4941 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65252 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65252, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 411 minutes of reading across 989 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Captures 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 Captures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
