Chapter 5 of Shadows and sunbeams is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Shadows and sunbeams is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Don’t know? Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better! It seems to go into one ear and out of the other. Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is. The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
Chapter 5 of Shadows and sunbeams is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
possessive form of “assembly” — a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit
surprising greatly
From this reading “Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!”
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading “Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.”
a series of question put to an individual (such as a political candidate) to elicit their views
From this reading “Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!”
a person who is in charge
From this reading “Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.”
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading “The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!”
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 “Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!”
In this reading “Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.”
In this reading “Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!”
to come or go into
In this reading “It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.”
In this reading “Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!”
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 The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
possessive form of “assembly” — a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
surprising greatly
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
a series of question put to an individual (such as a political candidate) to elicit their views
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
a person who is in charge
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don’t know?
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Don’t know?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
not in physical motion
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
express in words
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
a special situation
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seems to go into one ear and out of the other.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
during the time that
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading The chief end of man is—is—well—I—why don’t you hold still?—you are always putting a body out!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now pay particular attention while I tell you what the chief end of man is.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Well, it’s the most astonishing thing that that Assembly’s Catechism don’t stay in your head any better!
Chapter 5 of Shadows and sunbeams by Fanny Fern holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of Shadows and sunbeams, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Shadows and sunbeams by Fanny Fern exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Shadows and sunbeams by Fanny Fern 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 Shadows and sunbeams section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Shadows and sunbeams 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 Shadows and sunbeams, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
