Chapter 5 of The Black Cat is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Black Cat is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode. “The pipe,” said he. “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.” He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication. “Nitre?” he asked, at length.
Chapter 5 of The Black Cat is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.”
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading ““It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.””
inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading “He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.”
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading “The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.”
plural of “gleam” — an appearance of reflected light
From this reading ““It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.””
the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance
From this reading “He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.”
subject to change or variation
From this reading “The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.”
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 The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Nitre?” he asked, at length.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Nitre?” he asked, at length.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
inflected form of “distil” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
so thin as to transmit light
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
plural of “gleam” — an appearance of reflected light
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “Nitre?” he asked, at length.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
(KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive
From this reading “Nitre?” he asked, at length.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “The pipe,” said he.
a watery discharge from the mucous membranes (especially from the eyes or nose)
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The pipe,” said he.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
in the direction of
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
subject to change or variation
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
a Caucasian
From this reading “It is farther on,” said I; “but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.
Chapter 5 of The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of The Black Cat, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Black Cat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
