Chapter 5 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OFFICIAL EXCITEMENT. I was told to be seated. As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down. I could not do so. I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.
Chapter 5 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.”
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “OFFICIAL EXCITEMENT.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “OFFICIAL EXCITEMENT.”
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading “As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.”
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading “I was told to be seated.”
be seated
From this reading “As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.”
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 a seat
In this reading “As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.”
In this reading “As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I was told to be seated.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could not do so.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I could not do so.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading OFFICIAL EXCITEMENT.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was told to be seated.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading OFFICIAL EXCITEMENT.
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading I was told to be seated.
be seated
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I could not do so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was told to be seated.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I was told to be seated.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I tried as hard as I could, but I did not move.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading As I turned to the empty chair I was not permitted to sit down.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was told to be seated.
Chapter 5 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 71 sentences of Spirits Do Return, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57302 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57302, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 317 minutes of reading across 762 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spirits Do Return section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Spirits Do Return 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 Spirits Do Return, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
