Chapter 5 of El Toro is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of El Toro is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius. All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations. The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season. It dries quickly. When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
Chapter 5 of El Toro is here in full — 51 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
plural of “cart” — a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading “All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.”
plural of “dry” — a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
From this reading “It dries quickly.”
plural of “gash” — a wound made by cutting
From this reading “When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.”
plural of “imitation” — the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
From this reading “All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.”
a large wine bottle for liquor or wine
plural of “rut” — a groove or furrow (especially one in soft earth caused by wheels)
From this reading “All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.”
plural of “soak” — the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)
From this reading “The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.”
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading “The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.”
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 “The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.”
In this reading “When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.”
In this reading “When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.”
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 The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
plural of “cart” — a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
a digital tape recording of sound
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
plural of “dry” — a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
From this reading It dries quickly.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
apart from; not including
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
plural of “gash” — a wound made by cutting
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
plural of “imitation” — the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It dries quickly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
a large wine bottle for liquor or wine
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
and nothing more
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
an adult castrated bull of the genus Bos; especially Bos taurus
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
with speed
From this reading It dries quickly.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
plural of “rut” — a groove or furrow (especially one in soft earth caused by wheels)
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
plural of “soak” — the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
the state of being covered with unclean things
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading All ruts, except those made by ox carts, are merely imitations.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Magnum iter adscendo; sed dat mihi gloria vires._ —Propertius.
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 The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
at the time that
From this reading When the red soil is soft, the immense, heavily-laden carts sink into and cut gashes three or four feet deep in the face of the earth.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The country through which we were passing soaks water like a sponge in the wet season.
Chapter 5 of El Toro by E. Ralph (Edwin Ralph) Estep holds 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 51 sentences of El Toro, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of El Toro by E. Ralph (Edwin Ralph) Estep exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 51 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 El Toro by E. Ralph (Edwin Ralph) Estep on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 992 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76338 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76338, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 82 minutes of reading across 199 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through El Toro section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of El Toro 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 El Toro, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
