Chapter 5 of Phantom Wires: A Novel is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Phantom Wires: A Novel is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm. He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will. "But you--here!" he still gasped. "Oh, Jim!" she half-moaned, inadequately. Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
Chapter 5 of Phantom Wires: A Novel is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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 sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading “Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.”
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"But you--here!" he still gasped.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.”
in an inadequate manner or to an inadequate degree
From this reading “"Oh, Jim!" she half-moaned, inadequately.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.”
extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
From this reading “Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.”
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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you--here!" he still gasped.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "But you--here!" he still gasped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, Jim!" she half-moaned, inadequately.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "But you--here!" he still gasped.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
in an inadequate manner or to an inadequate degree
From this reading "Oh, Jim!" she half-moaned, inadequately.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, Jim!" she half-moaned, inadequately.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, Jim!" she half-moaned, inadequately.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
not in physical motion
From this reading "But you--here!" he still gasped.
extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He shook her hand off, impatiently, although the act seemed at cross-purposes with his own will.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE WOMAN SPEAKS "Ssssh!" said the woman under her breath, as she clutched Durkin's arm.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet an _aura_ of calmness seemed to surround her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But you--here!" he still gasped.
Chapter 5 of Phantom Wires: A Novel by Arthur Stringer holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 206 sentences of Phantom Wires: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Phantom Wires: A Novel by Arthur Stringer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Phantom Wires: A Novel by Arthur Stringer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3443 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19735 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19735, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 689 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phantom Wires: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Phantom Wires: A Novel 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 Phantom Wires: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
