Chapter 5 of Cynthia is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Cynthia is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said: "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh? There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do." "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so! I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
Chapter 5 of Cynthia is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
a city in East Sussex in southern England that is a popular resort; site of the University of Sussex
From this reading “I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....”
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading “"Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!”
used as expletives
From this reading “"Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?”
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading “When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:”
a request to be present
From this reading “When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:”
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:”
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 “When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:”
injure or kill by knocking (someone or something) down and passing over the body, as with a vehicle
In this reading “When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:”
cut to pieces
In this reading “"Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!”
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 I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
a city in East Sussex in southern England that is a popular resort; site of the University of Sussex
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
used as expletives
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
destroyed or killed
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do."
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
above and across; more than
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
a request to be present
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
express in words
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
precisely as stated
From this reading "Cynthia is very cut up; you had better tell her so!
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, what's this damn nonsense, Louisa, eh?
at the time that
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading When Sam Walford ran over to Dieppe, in obedience to his wife's summons, he said:
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I'm sure I wish we had waited and gone to Brighton instead....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading There's nothing in this, you know--this won't do."
Chapter 5 of Cynthia by Leonard Merrick holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 129 sentences of Cynthia, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Cynthia by Leonard Merrick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Cynthia by Leonard Merrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4698 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44465 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44465, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 391 minutes of reading across 940 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cynthia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Cynthia 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 Cynthia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
