Chapter 16 of Five Thousand Miles Underground is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Five Thousand Miles Underground is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NEW LAND "What is it? Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless. Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat. Mark felt his head swimming. His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
Chapter 16 of Five Thousand Miles Underground is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
curving or bulging outward
From this reading “His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.”
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.”
not marked by the use of reason
From this reading “Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.”
plural of “socket” — a bony hollow into which a structure fits
From this reading “His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.”
past form of “succumb” — consent reluctantly
From this reading “Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.”
the act of swimming
From this reading “Mark felt his head swimming.”
past form of “topple” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.”
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading “Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.”
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 Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
curving or bulging outward
From this reading His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Mark felt his head swimming.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Mark felt his head swimming.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE NEW LAND "What is it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE NEW LAND "What is it?
a small worthless amount
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading THE NEW LAND "What is it?
immediately past
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Mark felt his head swimming.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE NEW LAND "What is it?
above and across; more than
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
not marked by the use of reason
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
plural of “socket” — a bony hollow into which a structure fits
From this reading His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
past form of “succumb” — consent reluctantly
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
the act of swimming
From this reading Mark felt his head swimming.
express in words
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NEW LAND "What is it?
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
male cat
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
past form of “topple” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tell us!" exclaimed Jack, almost in his last breath, for, a few seconds later he too toppled over senseless.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes were almost bulging from their sockets.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE NEW LAND "What is it?
during the time that
From this reading Then Washington went down, while Andy, Bill and Tom succumbed to the terrible heat.
Chapter 16 of Five Thousand Miles Underground by Roy Rockwood holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 16 holds 139 sentences of Five Thousand Miles Underground, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Five Thousand Miles Underground by Roy Rockwood exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 16 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 Five Thousand Miles Underground by Roy Rockwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4994, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Five Thousand Miles Underground section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Five Thousand Miles Underground 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 Five Thousand Miles Underground, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
