Chapter 16 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
6. "What ails you?" asked the boy at length. "What makes you lie there?" The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard. He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
Chapter 16 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 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 “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading “"What ails you?" asked the boy at length.”
past form of “bloat” — become bloated or swollen or puff up
From this reading “The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.”
a chronic drinker
From this reading “The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.”
-ing form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill
From this reading “The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.”
disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
From this reading “The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.”
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading “The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.”
get into a prostrate position, as in submission
From this reading “The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.”
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.”
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 6.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
plural of “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
bring into balance or equilibrium
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
past form of “bloat” — become bloated or swollen or puff up
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
a youthful male person
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
a chronic drinker
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
-ing form of “exhibit” — show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "What makes you lie there?"
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "What makes you lie there?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
get into a prostrate position, as in submission
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "What makes you lie there?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The prostrate groveler struggled halfway up, exhibiting the bloated and filthy countenance of a drunkard.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He made two or three efforts to get upon his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled forward upon his face.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What ails you?" asked the boy at length.
Chapter 16 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 16 holds 392 sentences of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 16 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.
