Chapter 5 of Portia is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Portia is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!" --"AS YOU LIKE IT." "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily. She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear. Hence the haste.
Chapter 5 of Portia is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
characteristic of the style of type commonly used for printing German
From this reading “She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.”
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading “She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.”
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading “Hence the haste.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “"I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.”
for this reason
From this reading “Hence the haste.”
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading “She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.”
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading “She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.”
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading “She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.”
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 sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.”
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 WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading --"AS YOU LIKE IT."
have
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
characteristic of the style of type commonly used for printing German
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading Hence the haste.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
for this reason
From this reading Hence the haste.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading --"AS YOU LIKE IT."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading --"AS YOU LIKE IT."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
on the contrary
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
To recall to mind.
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She is sitting in a rather Gothic chair, and the day is ultra-hot, and the strain upon her mental powers is greater than she can bear.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I WISH you would _try_ to remember," says Dulce, a little hastily.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading --"AS YOU LIKE IT."
Chapter 5 of Portia by Duchess holds 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 241 sentences of Portia, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Portia by Duchess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 Portia by Duchess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31825 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31825, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 547 minutes of reading across 1314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Portia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Portia 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 Portia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
