Chapter 5 of Dust of New York is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Dust of New York is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards. Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done? They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes. Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home. Believe me, I did not lose at them.
Chapter 5 of Dust of New York is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading “They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.”
plural of “boarder” — a tenant in someone's house
From this reading “"After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.”
a game played with playing cards
From this reading “"After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.”
inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids
From this reading “They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.”
plural of “gambler” — a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events
From this reading “Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?”
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading “They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.”
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “"After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.”
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.
effervescent beverage artificially charged with carbon dioxide
In this reading “They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.”
In this reading “They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.”
In this reading “"After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.”
In this reading “"After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.”
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.”
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 "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
later than; following
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Believe me, I did not lose at them.
plural of “boarder” — a tenant in someone's house
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Believe me, I did not lose at them.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
inflected form of “drink” — take in liquids
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
plural of “gambler” — a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Believe me, I did not lose at them.
and nothing more
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading Believe me, I did not lose at them.
engage in
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Believe me, I did not lose at them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
be seated
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "After supper my other boarders used to sit at a game of cards.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading They drank tea, soda water, a can of beer sometimes.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Not that they were gamblers, but what else should they have done?
during the time that
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Sometimes my Moritz sat with them for a while--just to make them feel at home.
Chapter 5 of Dust of New York by Konrad Bercovici holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of Dust of New York, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Dust of New York by Konrad Bercovici exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Dust of New York by Konrad Bercovici on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2577 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43095 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43095, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 214 minutes of reading across 516 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dust of New York section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Dust of New York 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 Dust of New York, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
