Chapter 5 of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office is here in full — 1247 sentences across 250 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office is here in full — 1247 sentences across 250 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said: "Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?" "Great heavens, Gub-Gub!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Don't you think I'm busy enough already? What do you want a parcel post for?"
Chapter 5 of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office is here in full — 1247 sentences across 250 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/249 · 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.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “"Don't you think I'm busy enough already?”
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “_CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"Great heavens, Gub-Gub!" the Doctor exclaimed.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “"Great heavens, Gub-Gub!" the Doctor exclaimed.”
a wrapped container
From this reading “_CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “_CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?"”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?"
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading "Don't you think I'm busy enough already?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "Don't you think I'm busy enough already?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What do you want a parcel post for?"
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?"
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "Don't you think I'm busy enough already?
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Great heavens, Gub-Gub!" the Doctor exclaimed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What do you want a parcel post for?"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "Great heavens, Gub-Gub!" the Doctor exclaimed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading "Great heavens, Gub-Gub!" the Doctor exclaimed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you think I'm busy enough already?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
a wrapped container
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Don't you think I'm busy enough already?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _CHAPTER I_ PARCEL POST One day Gub-Gub came to the Doctor and said:
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading What do you want a parcel post for?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What do you want a parcel post for?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Doctor, why don't you start a parcel post?"
Chapter 5 of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office by Hugh Lofting holds 1247 sentences, grouped into 250 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 1247 sentences of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office, unabridged, divided into 250 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office by Hugh Lofting exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1247 sentences, grouped into 250 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 250 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 250 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 Doctor Dolittle's Post Office by Hugh Lofting on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4046 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58947 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 337 minutes of reading across 810 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Doctor Dolittle's Post Office section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Doctor Dolittle's Post Office 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 Doctor Dolittle's Post Office, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
