Chapter 5 of In Search of a Son is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of In Search of a Son is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FIRE AT SEA. "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me. I turned around and saw nothing. Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears. It was a strange sound.
Chapter 5 of In Search of a Son is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading “"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.”
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.”
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading “Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.”
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading “"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.”
from appearances alone
From this reading “"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.”
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading “"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “"At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.”
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 “It was a strange sound.”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
In this reading “FIRE AT SEA.”
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 "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading I turned around and saw nothing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading FIRE AT SEA.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.
start firing a weapon
From this reading FIRE AT SEA.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a strange sound.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
a particular point in time
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I turned around and saw nothing.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
cut with a saw
From this reading I turned around and saw nothing.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading FIRE AT SEA.
from appearances alone
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.
not in physical motion
From this reading Nevertheless, I still heard that sound in my ears.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading I turned around and saw nothing.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading "At this moment, a moment that I shall never forget, I heard a sudden crackling noise, strange and unexpected, coming from a point seemingly close to me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a strange sound.
Chapter 5 of In Search of a Son by William S. Walsh holds 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 52 sentences of In Search of a Son, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of In Search of a Son by William S. Walsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 In Search of a Son by William S. Walsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2274 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 189 minutes of reading across 455 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In Search of a Son section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of In Search of a Son 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 In Search of a Son, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
