Chapter 5 of Nelly is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Nelly is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen. "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter. "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?" "No, ma'am," replied Nelly. "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
Chapter 5 of Nelly is here in full — 330 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/66 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."”
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “"She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.”
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “"She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.”
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading “"She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “"No, ma'am," replied Nelly.”
United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)
From this reading “THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.”
do one's shopping
From this reading “THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.”
a feeling of alarm or dread
From this reading “THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.”
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 “"She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.”
In this reading “THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.”
a young female
In this reading “"She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.”
In this reading “THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "No, ma'am," replied Nelly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, ma'am," replied Nelly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "No, ma'am," replied Nelly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
do one's shopping
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "She told me to ask for her if she was not in the shop."
a feeling of alarm or dread
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
which person or people
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading THE next day, Nelly went down to Mrs. Kirkland's shop, and, not without some trepidation, asked for Miss Powell, who was not to be seen.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Can't I get what you want, as well as Miss Powell?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "She is busy up-stairs," said the young lady behind the counter.
Chapter 5 of Nelly by Lucy Ellen Guernsey holds 330 sentences, grouped into 66 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 330 sentences of Nelly, unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Nelly by Lucy Ellen Guernsey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 330 sentences, grouped into 66 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 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 66 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.
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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 Nelly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Nelly 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 Nelly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
