Chapter 5 of Idle Ideas in 1905 is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Idle Ideas in 1905 is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But French honour demands revenge. He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game. He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy. And then commences the return match. At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
Chapter 5 of Idle Ideas in 1905 is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.”
third-person singular of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “And then commences the return match.”
bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.”
third-person singular of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.”
plural of “gather” — sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching
From this reading “He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.”
easy to reach
From this reading “He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.”
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading “He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.”
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.
(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 He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then commences the return match.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But French honour demands revenge.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
third-person singular of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And then commences the return match.
bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading But French honour demands revenge.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
third-person singular of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading But French honour demands revenge.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.
plural of “gather” — sewing consisting of small folds or puckers made by pulling tight a thread in a line of stitching
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
easy to reach
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
come to pass
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.
the state of being honored
From this reading But French honour demands revenge.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading And then commences the return match.
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading And then commences the return match.
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading But French honour demands revenge.
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading He forgets his shoe, he forgets his game.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then commences the return match.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading At this point it is best to crouch down under shelter of the net.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He gathers together all the balls that he can find; his balls, your balls, anybody’s balls that happen to be handy.
Chapter 5 of Idle Ideas in 1905 by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 5 holds 194 sentences of Idle Ideas in 1905, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Idle Ideas in 1905 by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Idle Ideas in 1905 by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3270 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3140 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3140, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 654 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Idle Ideas in 1905 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Idle Ideas in 1905 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 Idle Ideas in 1905, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
