Chapter 5 of First Plays is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of First Plays is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way). Returned hopefully. TOMMY (in confusion). I say, we're engaged. GERALD (looking at them happily).
Chapter 5 of First Plays is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).”
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading “TOMMY (in confusion).”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “I say, we're engaged.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “GERALD (looking at them happily).”
with hope; in a hopeful manner
From this reading “Returned hopefully.”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Returned hopefully.”
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading “GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).”
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading TOMMY (in confusion).
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading I say, we're engaged.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
in a joyous manner
From this reading GERALD (looking at them happily).
with hope; in a hopeful manner
From this reading Returned hopefully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I say, we're engaged.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading GERALD (looking at them happily).
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Returned hopefully.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
Identical; not different.
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
express in words
From this reading I say, we're engaged.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading GERALD (looking at them happily).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TOMMY (in confusion).
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading GERALD (stopping at the door, turning round and coming back in the same business-like way).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I say, we're engaged.
Chapter 5 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of First Plays, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 First Plays by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7805 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7805, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 451 minutes of reading across 1084 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of First Plays 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 First Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
