Chapter 5 of General Bramble is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of General Bramble is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron. The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face. He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise. "What's making all that noise?" he asked. "Our guns," said Colonel Parker.
Chapter 5 of General Bramble is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
greatly pleased
From this reading “He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.”
a branch of knowledge
From this reading “THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.”
family based on male descent
From this reading “THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.”
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “"Our guns," said Colonel Parker.”
an organization founded and united for a specific purpose
From this reading “THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.”
a chaplain in one of the military services
From this reading “The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.”
United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading “"Our guns," said Colonel Parker.”
dependable
From this reading “The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.”
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.
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 new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
(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 "What's making all that noise?" he asked.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What's making all that noise?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading "Our guns," said Colonel Parker.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
greatly pleased
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
a branch of knowledge
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
family based on male descent
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "Our guns," said Colonel Parker.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
an organization founded and united for a specific purpose
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
and nothing more
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "What's making all that noise?" he asked.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading "What's making all that noise?" he asked.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
and nothing more
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Our guns," said Colonel Parker.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
a chaplain in one of the military services
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
United States saxophonist and leader of the bop style of jazz (1920-1955)
From this reading "Our guns," said Colonel Parker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Our guns," said Colonel Parker.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
dependable
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading He was only just out from England, and delighted the general with his air of innocent surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What's making all that noise?" he asked.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY OF PRIVATE BIGGS "La Nature fait peu de gens vaillants; c'est la bonne institution et la discipline."--Charron.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's making all that noise?" he asked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The new padre was a stout, artless man with a kind face.
Chapter 5 of General Bramble by André Maurois holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 73 sentences of General Bramble, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of General Bramble by André Maurois exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 General Bramble by André Maurois on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30596 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30596, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 124 minutes of reading across 299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through General Bramble section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of General Bramble 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 General Bramble, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
