Chapter 5 of Dave Dawson at Singapore is here in full — 410 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 Dave Dawson at Singapore is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yeah?" Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup. "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife. I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer. I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
Chapter 5 of Dave Dawson at Singapore is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.”
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading “I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.”
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading “I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.”
past form of “scowl” — frown with displeasure
From this reading “Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.”
make sharp or sharper
From this reading “"I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.”
inflected form of “slit” — make a clean cut through
From this reading “I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.”
not only so, but
From this reading “"Yeah?"”
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.
a cup from which coffee is drunk
In this reading “Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “"I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.”
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 I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
(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 I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
a negotiator who acts as a link between parties
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
past form of “scowl” — frown with displeasure
From this reading Dave echoed and scowled down into his coffee cup.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
make sharp or sharper
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
inflected form of “slit” — make a clean cut through
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading I never did like a middle man in things; a go-between.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I sure hope he didn't go out to sharpen up his knife.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I think I would have liked it better if Serrangi had acted as postman instead of that throat slitting customer.
not only so, but
From this reading "Yeah?"
Chapter 5 of Dave Dawson at Singapore by Robert Sidney Bowen holds 410 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 410 sentences of Dave Dawson at Singapore, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Dave Dawson at Singapore by Robert Sidney Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 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 Dave Dawson at Singapore by Robert Sidney Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50661 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50661, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dave Dawson at Singapore section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Dave Dawson at Singapore 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 Dave Dawson at Singapore, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
