Chapter 5 of Over the Teacups is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Over the Teacups is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons. The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place. I make it a rule to be present. The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am. We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
Chapter 5 of Over the Teacups is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.”
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading “It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.”
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading “The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.”
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading “We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.”
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading “It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.”
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading “I make it a rule to be present.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.”
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 I make it a rule to be present.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
only a very short time before
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I make it a rule to be present.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
engage in
From this reading I make it a rule to be present.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading I make it a rule to be present.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading I make it a rule to be present.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The Professor is almost as sure to be at the table as I am.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It must be understood that our company is not invariably made up of the same persons.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The Mistress, as we call her, is expected to be always in her place.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading We should hardly know what to do without Number Five.
Chapter 5 of Over the Teacups by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 150 sentences of Over the Teacups, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Over the Teacups by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 4042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2689, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Over the Teacups section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Over the Teacups 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 Over the Teacups, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
