Chapter 5 of Russian Silhouettes is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Russian Silhouettes is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated. “Why do you lie so?” Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying. The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false. “It’s a lie!”
Chapter 5 of Russian Silhouettes is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron
From this reading “Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.”
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading ““Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.”
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading “The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.”
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading ““Why do you lie so?””
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading “Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.”
a false statement
From this reading “Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.”
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.
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 Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
a noblewoman who holds the rank of baron or who is the wife or widow of a baron
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you lie so?”
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a lie!”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “Why do you lie so?”
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
not one, and not any
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Why do you lie so?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
a false statement
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The tone of her voice, the expression of her face, her glance—all were false.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mother, that isn’t true!” cried Volodia exasperated.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you lie so?”
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Now he knew that his mother was not lying, and that in her account of General Shumikin and Baroness Kolb there was not a word of untruth, but he felt none the less as if she were lying.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you lie so?”
Chapter 5 of Russian Silhouettes by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of Russian Silhouettes, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Russian Silhouettes by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Russian Silhouettes by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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 Russian Silhouettes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Russian Silhouettes 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 Russian Silhouettes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
