Chapter 5 of Seeing Things at Night is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Seeing Things at Night is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why, yes, sir. Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?" Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude. In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion. I motioned to the nurse to leave me.
Chapter 5 of Seeing Things at Night is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading “Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.”
any strong feeling
From this reading “In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.”
likely to fail or make errors
From this reading “In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.”
showing lack of favoritism
From this reading “Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.”
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading “I motioned to the nurse to leave me.”
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.”
plural of “pick” — the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"”
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.
take and lift upward
In this reading “Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"”
the hand that is on the left side of the body
In this reading “Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"”
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 In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
anew
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
any strong feeling
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
at any time
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
likely to fail or make errors
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
characteristic of humanity
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
showing lack of favoritism
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
go away from a place
From this reading I motioned to the nurse to leave me.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I motioned to the nurse to leave me.
a particular point in time
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading I motioned to the nurse to leave me.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading I motioned to the nurse to leave me.
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading In a moment I had become again the parent, human and fallible to emotion.
plural of “pick” — the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "Why, yes, sir.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Before, I had been the cool, impartial judge, but it was impossible to maintain that attitude.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, yes, sir.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Why, yes, sir.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Didn't you ever notice Woodie always picks up things with his left hand?"
Chapter 5 of Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of Seeing Things at Night, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Seeing Things at Night by Heywood Broun on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35793 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35793, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 723 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seeing Things at Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Seeing Things at Night 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 Seeing Things at Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
