Chapter 5 of Messalina of the suburbs is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Messalina of the suburbs is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Woolley turned round. “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages. Come and give an account of yourself.” She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him. The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
Chapter 5 of Messalina of the suburbs is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading ““Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.”
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading “She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.”
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading “She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading ““Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.”
marked by casual disrespect
From this reading “The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.”
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading “The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.”
English archaeologist who supervised the excavations at Ur (1880-1960)
From this reading “Mrs. Woolley turned round.”
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.
In this reading “Mrs. Woolley turned round.”
In this reading “She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.”
In this reading “Come and give an account of yourself.””
In this reading ““Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.”
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 She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
marked by casual disrespect
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
and nothing more
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Woolley turned round.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Mrs. Woolley turned round.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The doctor stared back at her, insolent security in his manner.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Mrs. Woolley turned round.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She spoke in a thin, artificial voice, but her eyes blazed a command at him.
English archaeologist who supervised the excavations at Ur (1880-1960)
From this reading Mrs. Woolley turned round.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Herbert, Mrs. Loman is just saying that she hasn’t set eyes on you for ages.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading Come and give an account of yourself.”
Chapter 5 of Messalina of the suburbs by E. M. Delafield holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of Messalina of the suburbs, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Messalina of the suburbs by E. M. Delafield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Messalina of the suburbs by E. M. Delafield 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 Messalina of the suburbs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Messalina of the suburbs 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 Messalina of the suburbs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
