Chapter 5 of John Bull's Other Island is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of John Bull's Other Island is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DORAN. Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat. [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat? LARRY. For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
Chapter 5 of John Bull's Other Island is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading “[Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?”
of or relating to or resulting from industry
From this reading “For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.”
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading “Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.”
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading “For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “[Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?”
plural of “purpose” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “[Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?”
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 Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DORAN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
of or relating to or resulting from industry
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
and nothing more
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LARRY.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
plural of “purpose” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading [Pleasantly, to the subject of this description] Are we, Mat?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, we're not all foostherin oul doddherers like Mat.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For modern industrial purposes you might just as well be, Barney.
Chapter 5 of John Bull's Other Island by Bernard Shaw holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of John Bull's Other Island, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of John Bull's Other Island by Bernard Shaw exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 John Bull's Other Island by Bernard Shaw on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3400 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3612 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3612, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 680 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John Bull's Other Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of John Bull's Other Island 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 John Bull's Other Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
