Chapter 5 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
4. The symptoms of its bite are terrible. The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows. Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends. 5.
Chapter 5 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.”
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading “The symptoms of its bite are terrible.”
state of violent mental agitation
From this reading “The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.”
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading “The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.”
third-person singular of “obstruct” — hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
From this reading “The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.”
plural of “swell” — the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
From this reading “The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.”
plural of “symptom” — (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
From this reading “The symptoms of its bite are terrible.”
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading “The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 4.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 5.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
state of violent mental agitation
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
exceedingly bad
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
beyond reasonable limits
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
third-person singular of “obstruct” — hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
a person who requires medical care
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
with speed
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.
plural of “swell” — the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
plural of “symptom” — (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The symptoms of its bite are terrible.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quickly follows.
Chapter 5 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 390 sentences of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15040 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15040, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1560 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader 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 McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
