Chapter 5 of Dr. Breen's Practice is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Dr. Breen's Practice is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oh, Grace Breen! Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard. “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up. I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling. I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
Chapter 5 of Dr. Breen's Practice is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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 conference (usually with someone important)
From this reading “I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.”
bar from attention or consideration
From this reading “I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.”
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading “I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.”
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading ““Oh, Grace Breen!”
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading ““You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.”
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’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, Grace Breen!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
a conference (usually with someone important)
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
bar from attention or consideration
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading “Oh, Grace Breen!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, Grace Breen!
by chance
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading I’m not a stone; I have _some_ feeling.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “You _know_ that I don’t mean to give you up.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I didn’t intend to dismiss you, but I thought perhaps you would like to have a consultation about it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Is _that_ the way you talk to me?” whimpered Mrs. Maynard.
Chapter 5 of Dr. Breen's Practice by William Dean Howells holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 207 sentences of Dr. Breen's Practice, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Dr. Breen's Practice by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Dr. Breen's Practice by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3880 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3364 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3364, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 776 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dr. Breen's Practice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Dr. Breen's Practice 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 Dr. Breen's Practice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
