Chapter 5 of The Bandbox is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Bandbox is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?" "No," admitted Staff. "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on." "They mostly are," Staff observed. He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
Chapter 5 of The Bandbox is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 female actor
From this reading “"Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."”
dearly loved
From this reading “He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.”
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading “"Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."”
relating to or based on or involving comparison
From this reading “He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.”
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading “"Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"”
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading “"They mostly are," Staff observed.”
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading “"No," admitted Staff.”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “"Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"”
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 “He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.”
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 "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
a female actor
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "No," admitted Staff.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "They mostly are," Staff observed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
dearly loved
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
relating to or based on or involving comparison
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
one or the other of two
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
a young female
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
only a very short time before
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading "They mostly are," Staff observed.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No," admitted Staff.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "They mostly are," Staff observed.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading "No," admitted Staff.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They mostly are," Staff observed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
precisely as stated
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was hardly ready to criticise his beloved to a comparative stranger.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading "Either that, or she's as wonderful an actress off the boards as on."
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading "Miss Landis," said the girl in a hesitant manner--"doesn't seem to worry very much ...?"
Chapter 5 of The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Bandbox, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31021 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31021, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bandbox section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Bandbox 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 The Bandbox, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
