Chapter 5 of Lady William is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Lady William is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything! That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’ ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William. ‘And how do you like us now you have seen us, Leo? The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
Chapter 5 of Lady William is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
lacking in physical beauty or proportion
From this reading “The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.”
clear or deep perception of a situation
From this reading “‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.”
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
From this reading “‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’”
an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector
From this reading “The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.”
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!”
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 “‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!”
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 ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
(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 The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
any thing at all
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
earlier than; in front of
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
an occurrence of something
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
one or the other of two
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
coins made of gold
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
lacking in physical beauty or proportion
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
clear or deep perception of a situation
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
a polite name for any woman
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading ‘And how do you like us now you have seen us, Leo?
not any; not one
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading ‘And how do you like us now you have seen us, Leo?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading ‘And how do you like us now you have seen us, Leo?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
in or at that place or location
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Rectory is homely, but they’re all as good as gold.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading ‘How pleasant it is,’ said Leo, throwing himself into a chair, ‘to be understood before one says anything!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘And how do you like us now you have seen us, Leo?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That is precisely what I have been doing, and what I have come to do.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘There was no great insight required in either case,’ said Lady William.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘And how do you like us now you have seen us, Leo?
Chapter 5 of Lady William by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of Lady William, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Lady William by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Lady William by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8555 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1711 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady William section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Lady William 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 Lady William, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
