Chapter 5 of Mother of Pearl 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 Mother of Pearl is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress. I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears. “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise. I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold. I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.
Chapter 5 of Mother of Pearl 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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading “I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.”
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading “I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.”
driving or forcing
From this reading ““O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.”
psychological suffering
From this reading “At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.”
defying expression or description
From this reading “At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.”
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.”
the taste experience when sugar dissolves in the mouth
From this reading “I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.”
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading “I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.”
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 “I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.”
In this reading “At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.”
In this reading “I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.”
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.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
driving or forcing
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
psychological suffering
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
defying expression or description
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
a particular point in time
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
used to form the superlative
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
move upward
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.
the taste experience when sugar dissolves in the mouth
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “O, my brother!” she exclaimed, compelling me to rise.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I had not realized up to that moment the bitter sweetness the name of brother can hold.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At the sight I was plunged in the most indescribable distress.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading I addressed her with my whole soul’s tenderness.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I threw myself at her feet, seized her hand, and bathed it with tears.
Chapter 5 of Mother of Pearl by Anatole France 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 Mother of Pearl, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Mother of Pearl by Anatole France 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 Mother of Pearl by Anatole France on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3052 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58099 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58099, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mother of Pearl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Mother of Pearl 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 Mother of Pearl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
