Chapter 5 of May Fair is here in full — 410 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 May Fair is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble. “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much. A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.” “I am terrified, too,” said the young stranger, “of this happiness. It can’t possibly last, can it?
Chapter 5 of May Fair is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading ““You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.”
courtesy towards women
From this reading “A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.””
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading ““You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.”
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading ““That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.”
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading ““You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.”
by chance
From this reading “It can’t possibly last, can it?”
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading “A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.””
causing an emotional disturbance
From this reading ““You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.”
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.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading ““That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.”
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 A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It can’t possibly last, can it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It can’t possibly last, can it?
courtesy towards women
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading “I am terrified, too,” said the young stranger, “of this happiness.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It can’t possibly last, can it?
immediately past
From this reading It can’t possibly last, can it?
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
by chance
From this reading It can’t possibly last, can it?
precisely, exactly
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
express in words
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
term of address for a man
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “I am terrified, too,” said the young stranger, “of this happiness.
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I am terrified, too,” said the young stranger, “of this happiness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “I am terrified, too,” said the young stranger, “of this happiness.
a source of difficulty
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
causing an emotional disturbance
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
precisely as stated
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A little chivalry, sir, would help you to see how terrified I am.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You say you aren’t playing,” Miss Wych bitterly complained, “but you are upsetting me very much.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “That’s right,” said the lean young man with the eyes of trouble.
Chapter 5 of May Fair by Michael Arlen holds 410 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 410 sentences of May Fair, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of May Fair by Michael Arlen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 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 May Fair by Michael Arlen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through May Fair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of May Fair 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 May Fair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
