Chapter 5 of English ways and by-ways is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of English ways and by-ways is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me." But this only made matters worse. For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that. The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing." By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
Chapter 5 of English ways and by-ways is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.”
a felt hat that is round and hard with a narrow brim
From this reading “By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:”
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading “By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:”
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading “The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."”
past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison
From this reading “By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:”
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading “"Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."”
violating accepted standards or rules
From this reading “The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."”
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 “"Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."”
In this reading “By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:”
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 lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this only made matters worse.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
a felt hat that is round and hard with a narrow brim
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
a man of refinement
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
a boy or man
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading But this only made matters worse.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading But this only made matters worse.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
not any; not one
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
and nothing more
From this reading But this only made matters worse.
past form of “poison” — spoil as if by poison
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
precisely, exactly
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
in a vehement outcry
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
required or under orders
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
a special situation
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this only made matters worse.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time I felt as if I had poisoned the favorite for the Derby, and in desperation said:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
violating accepted standards or rules
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I am sorry; I supposed he was poking fun at me."
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading But this only made matters worse.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The lad was evidently a gentleman and would not have been guilty of such an unsportsmanlike thing."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For he now shouted: "You had no right to assume that.
Chapter 5 of English ways and by-ways by Leighton Parks holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 458 sentences of English ways and by-ways, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of English ways and by-ways by Leighton Parks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 English ways and by-ways by Leighton Parks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2706 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76393 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76393, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 225 minutes of reading across 542 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through English ways and by-ways section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of English ways and by-ways 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 English ways and by-ways, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
