Chapter 5 of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HELIOGABALUS [_Ironically_] No? LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah? Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie. It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less. LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
Chapter 5 of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
give sanction to
From this reading “Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.”
in a demure manner
contrary to plan or expectation
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.”
plural of “scripture” — the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading “LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah?”
morally excellent
From this reading “It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.”
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 “LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?”
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 LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
later than; following
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah?
give sanction to
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
in a demure manner
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HELIOGABALUS [_Ironically_] No?
contrary to plan or expectation
From this reading HELIOGABALUS [_Ironically_] No?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
not any; not one
From this reading HELIOGABALUS [_Ironically_] No?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
express in words
From this reading LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah?
plural of “scripture” — the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LUCIA The Scriptures say-- HELIOGABALUS Ah?
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then let us be glad they approve it, little pot-pie.
morally excellent
From this reading It is pleasant to be virtuous--that is, more or less.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading LUCIA [_Demurely after a pause_] Do you want to kiss me?
Chapter 5 of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts by H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61281 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61281, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 218 minutes of reading across 526 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts 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 Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
