Chapter 5 of Men, Women, and Boats is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Men, Women, and Boats is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The schooner went on. The two voyagers sat down and watched. After a time they began to shiver. The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea. Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
Chapter 5 of Men, Women, and Boats is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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 “beacon” — a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading “Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.”
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading “The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.”
a mountainous region of northern Scotland famous for its rugged beauty; known for the style of dress (the kilt and tartan) and the clan system (now in disuse)
From this reading “Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.”
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading “The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.”
tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading “After a time they began to shiver.”
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading “Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.”
plural of “voyager” — a traveler to a distant land (especially one who travels by sea)
From this reading “The two voyagers sat down and watched.”
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading “The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.”
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 After a time they began to shiver.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
later than; following
From this reading After a time they began to shiver.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The two voyagers sat down and watched.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
plural of “beacon” — a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading After a time they began to shiver.
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
the first light of day
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The two voyagers sat down and watched.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
a mountainous region of northern Scotland famous for its rugged beauty; known for the style of dress (the kilt and tartan) and the clan system (now in disuse)
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The schooner went on.
above and across; more than
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The two voyagers sat down and watched.
a large beer glass
From this reading The schooner went on.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading After a time they began to shiver.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
in the near future
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The schooner went on.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a time they began to shiver.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading After a time they began to shiver.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After a time they began to shiver.
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two voyagers sat down and watched.
plural of “voyager” — a traveler to a distant land (especially one who travels by sea)
From this reading The two voyagers sat down and watched.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading The two voyagers sat down and watched.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The schooner went on.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Soon lights of early dawn went changing across the sky, and the twin beacons on the highlands grew dim and sparkling faintly, as if a monster were dying.
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading The soft blackness of the summer night passed away, and grey mists writhed over the sea.
Chapter 5 of Men, Women, and Boats by Stephen Crane holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 89 sentences of Men, Women, and Boats, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Men, Women, and Boats by Stephen Crane exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Men, Women, and Boats by Stephen Crane 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 Men, Women, and Boats section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Men, Women, and Boats 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 Men, Women, and Boats, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
