Chapter 14 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again. 16. "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard. But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand. A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
Chapter 14 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading “This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.”
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.”
play in which children pretend to put out a fire
From this reading “This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.”
made afraid
From this reading “This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.”
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading “"Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.”
an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading “A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.”
causing or able to cause nausea
From this reading “A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.”
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 16.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
anew
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
divisible by two
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
play in which children pretend to put out a fire
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
made afraid
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
destroyed or killed
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
and nothing more
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
a particular point in time
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
move upward
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
causing or able to cause nausea
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
required or under orders
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Here's Little Oscue just before us," cried out one of the guard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A sickening sensation settled upon my heart, for I supposed that we were now gone.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But even as he spoke, the buildings were at hand.
which person or people
From this reading This was spoken to the poor fireman, who at that moment attempted to rise, and the frightened man sank back again.
Chapter 14 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey holds 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 14 holds 361 sentences of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 14 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.
