Chapter 5 of Silverthorns is here in full — 446 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Silverthorns is here in full — 446 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly. "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted? Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?" "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously. She did not like his half querulous tone.
Chapter 5 of Silverthorns is here in full — 446 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “"Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.”
possessive form of “jerry” — offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “"Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.”
treat with contempt
From this reading “Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"”
possessive form of “papa” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"”
in a plaintive manner
From this reading “"Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?”
habitually complaining
From this reading “She did not like his half querulous tone.”
a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
From this reading “"Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.”
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “"He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.”
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 into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “"He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
a youthful male person
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?
possessive form of “jerry” — offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
treat with contempt
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
and nothing more
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
possessive form of “papa” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
in a plaintive manner
From this reading "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?
habitually complaining
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
in a serious manner
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
to a small degree or extent
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
in a playfully teasing manner
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Jerry's got the ghost on the brain," said Ted, teasingly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading She did not like his half querulous tone.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's only in fun; he didn't mean to vex you, Jerry," said Arthur, and Mrs Waldron looked at the boy somewhat anxiously.
at the time that
From this reading Should he mock like that when papa's been telling us the story seriously?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mamma," said Jerry plaintively, "do you hear Ted?
Chapter 5 of Silverthorns by Mrs. Molesworth holds 446 sentences, grouped into 90 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 446 sentences of Silverthorns, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Silverthorns by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 446 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Silverthorns by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43122 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43122, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 718 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Silverthorns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Silverthorns 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 Silverthorns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
