Chapter 5 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir. Who was that with you?” “A lady.” (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all! Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
Chapter 5 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!””
having gaps or spaces
From this reading ““I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.”
marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
From this reading “(Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!”
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading “Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!””
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading “(Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!”
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!””
having spots or patches (small areas of contrasting color or texture)
From this reading “Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!””
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading ““I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.”
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 “A lady.”
(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 “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
having gaps or spaces
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
a quad with a square body
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “A lady.”
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading (Culpepper never lied, but he was discreet.) “D--m 'em all!
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
above and across; more than
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
term of address for a man
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
having spots or patches (small areas of contrasting color or texture)
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Who was that with you?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Who was that with you?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
which person or people
From this reading Who was that with you?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Who was that with you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look yar, Culp, I've spotted the man who gave the order to put me off the floor” (“flo” was what the Colonel said) “the other night!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I've looked all over town for you, and be dashed to you, sir.
Chapter 5 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2167 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2597 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2597, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 180 minutes of reading across 434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories 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 Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
