Chapter 5 of Rutledge is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Rutledge is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame. The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats. And flare up bodily, wings and all. What then? Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
Chapter 5 of Rutledge is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading “"Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.”
in bodily form
From this reading “And flare up bodily, wings and all.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.”
third-person singular of “devour” — destroy completely
From this reading “The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.”
a shape that spreads outward
From this reading “And flare up bodily, wings and all.”
any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies
From this reading “Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"”
plural of “gnat” — any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies
From this reading “The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.”
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading “"Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.”
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 Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
possessing life
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
(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 And flare up bodily, wings and all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
for the reason that
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
in bodily form
From this reading And flare up bodily, wings and all.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
third-person singular of “devour” — destroy completely
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
a shape that spreads outward
From this reading And flare up bodily, wings and all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
a young female
From this reading Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies
From this reading Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
plural of “gnat” — any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
except for; apart from
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading What then?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And flare up bodily, wings and all.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What then?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who's sorry for a gnat--or girl?"
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading And flare up bodily, wings and all.
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading "Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, Half wishing they were dead to save the shame.
Chapter 5 of Rutledge by Miriam Coles Harris holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 231 sentences of Rutledge, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Rutledge by Miriam Coles Harris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Rutledge by Miriam Coles Harris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40385 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40385, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 588 minutes of reading across 1413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rutledge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Rutledge 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 Rutledge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
