Chapter 5 of Special Messenger is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Special Messenger is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north. Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor. She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now. "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me." He looked up with heavy-lidded eyes.
Chapter 5 of Special Messenger is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
show off
From this reading “He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.”
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading “Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.”
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.”
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading “Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.”
(used of persons or the military) not having or using arms
From this reading “She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.”
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.”
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 He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
show off
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He looked up with heavy-lidded eyes.
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
in a gradual manner
From this reading "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me."
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked up with heavy-lidded eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
hear with intention
From this reading "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up with heavy-lidded eyes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me."
a particular point in time
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me."
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me."
in a sullen manner
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, hot, panting, sullenly sensible of his fatigue, he laid the pistol on the table and glowered at the floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Soldier," she said gently, "listen to me."
in the direction of
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
(used of persons or the military) not having or using arms
From this reading She could have taken him, unarmed, at any moment, now.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up with heavy-lidded eyes.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He ended with a gesture--an angry, foolish boast, shaking his weapon toward the north.
Chapter 5 of Special Messenger by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Special Messenger, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Special Messenger by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Special Messenger by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2938 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24071 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24071, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 244 minutes of reading across 588 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Special Messenger section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Special Messenger 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 Special Messenger, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
