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Stubble

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Stubble is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/54 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Things had changed for Joe.
It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.
Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.
It was not the weather certainly.
For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Stubble

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Stubble is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/54 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Things had changed for Joe.
Line 2
It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.
/ɪt wɑːz æz ðoʊ hiː hæd bɪn toʊld ðæt hiː hæd nɑːt əˈmaʊntɪd tuː mʌtʃ ðæt wʌt hiː hæd kʌm frʌm hæd nɑːt əˈmaʊntɪd tuː mʌtʃ ənd ðæt ɪn ɔːl ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiː hiː wʊd ˈnevər əˈmaʊnt tuː mʌtʃ/
Line 3
Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.
Line 4
It was not the weather certainly.
/ɪt wɑːz nɑːt ðə ˈweðər ˈsɜːrtənli/
Line 5
For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.
/fɔːr ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ʌv ðə ˈsekənd deɪ ʌv meɪ ˈoʊpənd waɪd wɪð ˈprɑːməs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

actually adverb US /ˈæktʃuːəli/

in actual fact

From this reading “Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.”

amount noun US /əˈmaʊnt/

a quantity of money

From this reading “It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.”

amounted verb US /əˈmaʊntɪd/

past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to

From this reading “It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.”

cloth noun US /klɔːθ/

artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers

From this reading “Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.”

doubtful adjective US /ˈdaʊtfəl/

open to doubt or suspicion

From this reading “Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.”

imagination noun US /ˌɪmædʒəˈneɪʃən/

the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses

From this reading “Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.”

probability noun US /ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiː/

a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

From this reading “It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.”

supplied verb US /səˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to

From this reading “Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

actuallyadverbUS /ˈæktʃuːəli/

in actual fact

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

amountnounUS /əˈmaʊnt/

a quantity of money

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

amountedverbUS /əˈmaʊntɪd/

past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

certainlyadverbUS /ˈsɜːrtənli/

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading It was not the weather certainly.

changedadjectiveUS /tʃeɪndʒd/

made or become different in nature or form

From this reading Things had changed for Joe.

clothnounUS /klɔːθ/

artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

doubtfuladjectiveUS /ˈdaʊtfəl/

open to doubt or suspicion

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Things had changed for Joe.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Things had changed for Joe.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

imaginationnounUS /ˌɪmædʒəˈneɪʃən/

the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

Joe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Things had changed for Joe.

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

probabilitynounUS /ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiː/

a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

suggestedverbUS /səˈdʒestɪd/

past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

suppliedverbUS /səˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

ThingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Things had changed for Joe.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

weathernounUS /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading It was not the weather certainly.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading Just how much had actually been suggested to him, and how much he had supplied out of the whole cloth of his imagination it is doubtful if even he could have said.

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading For the morning of the second day of May opened wide with promise.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It was as though he had been told that he had not amounted to much, that what he had come from had not amounted to much, and that in all probability he would never amount to much.

Chapter 5 of Stubble by George Looms holds 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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.

What does chapter 5 of Stubble contain?

Chapter 5 holds 273 sentences of Stubble, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of Stubble by George Looms exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of Stubble?

Work through the 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 55 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Stubble

Common questions about reading Stubble by George Looms on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Stubble?

Yes. All 5145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25158 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Stubble is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #25158, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Stubble take to read?

About 428 minutes of reading across 1029 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Stubble section by section

How to work through Stubble section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Stubble to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Stubble

Words and structures a reader meets early in Stubble, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Images
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stubble; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Original
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stubble; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pages
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stubble; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Available
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Stubble; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.