Chapter 5 of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer. She undid the parcel and said: “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.” “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon. His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
Chapter 5 of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried
From this reading ““Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.”
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.”
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading ““Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.””
a humming noise
From this reading “His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.”
Norwegian painter (1863-1944)
From this reading ““Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.”
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading “He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.”
a wrapped container
From this reading “She undid the parcel and said:”
inflected form of “undo” — cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect
From this reading “She undid the parcel and said:”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.”
In this reading ““Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.””
In this reading “His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.”
In this reading “He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading ““Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.””
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 “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
anew
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
react verbally
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
a humming noise
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
immediately past
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
Norwegian painter (1863-1944)
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading He blinked at his niece, and didn’t answer.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Mrs. Goping’s fowl got out again last night.”
a wrapped container
From this reading She undid the parcel and said:
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She undid the parcel and said:
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She undid the parcel and said:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She undid the parcel and said:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Ah,” he replied in a non-committal manner and began to munch his bread and bacon.
inflected form of “undo” — cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect
From this reading She undid the parcel and said:
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading His niece picked up the handkerchief and, humming to herself, walked back across the field.
Chapter 5 of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools by Frederick Houk [Editor] Law holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools by Frederick Houk [Editor] Law exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools by Frederick Houk [Editor] Law on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6555 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62942 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62942, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 546 minutes of reading across 1311 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools 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 Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
