Chapter 5 of Oscar in Africa is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Oscar in Africa is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
COMPLIMENTS AND ORDERS. "What a dreadful-looking monster! And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?" "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed. "How brave he must be!
Chapter 5 of Oscar in Africa is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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 “"That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"”
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading “"How brave he must be!”
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading “COMPLIMENTS AND ORDERS.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"”
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading “"What a dreadful-looking monster!”
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “COMPLIMENTS AND ORDERS.”
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading “And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"”
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 “And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"”
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 "What a dreadful-looking monster!
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading COMPLIMENTS AND ORDERS.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "How brave he must be!
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
a youthful male person
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading "How brave he must be!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading COMPLIMENTS AND ORDERS.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What a dreadful-looking monster!
a man of refinement
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "How brave he must be!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How brave he must be!
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading "What a dreadful-looking monster!
a form of address for a man
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "How brave he must be!
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading COMPLIMENTS AND ORDERS.
express in words
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
express in words
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "That's what they say," answered the gentleman addressed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What a dreadful-looking monster!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And do you mean to tell us, Mr. Wallace, that this terrible beast was killed by a boy?"
Chapter 5 of Oscar in Africa by Harry Castlemon holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 87 sentences of Oscar in Africa, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Oscar in Africa by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Oscar in Africa by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2718 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54954, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 226 minutes of reading across 544 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oscar in Africa section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Oscar in Africa 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 Oscar in Africa, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
