Chapter 5 of Moments with Mark Twain is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Moments with Mark Twain is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly. It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night. Everything else is blotted out and gone. But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.” “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
Chapter 5 of Moments with Mark Twain is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
inflected form of “blot” — dry (ink) with blotting paper
From this reading “Everything else is blotted out and gone.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.””
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading ““How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?””
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading ““How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?””
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading ““My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.”
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading ““My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.”
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading “But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.””
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading “It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.”
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 “But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.””
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading ““How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?””
In this reading “It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.”
In this reading “It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark 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 It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Everything else is blotted out and gone.
inflected form of “blot” — dry (ink) with blotting paper
From this reading Everything else is blotted out and gone.
a youthful male person
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Everything else is blotted out and gone.
at any time
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything else is blotted out and gone.
the act of departing
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
destroyed or killed
From this reading Everything else is blotted out and gone.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Everything else is blotted out and gone.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
Identical; not different.
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “How on earth am I ever going to learn it then?”
in or at that place or location
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
precisely as stated
From this reading It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But mind you, it hasn’t the same shape in the night that it has in the daytime.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My boy, you’ve got to know the _shape_ of the river perfectly.
Chapter 5 of Moments with Mark Twain by Mark Twain holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of Moments with Mark Twain, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Moments with Mark Twain by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Moments with Mark Twain by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2949 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61338 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61338, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 245 minutes of reading across 590 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Moments with Mark Twain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Moments with Mark Twain 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 Moments with Mark Twain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
