Chapter 5 of The Benson murder case is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Benson murder case is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.) “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house. I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout. Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.” Heath rose.
Chapter 5 of The Benson murder case is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.””
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading “The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)”
a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
From this reading “Heath rose.”
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading “The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)”
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading “The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)”
a plan or design of something that is laid out
From this reading “I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.”
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading “I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.”
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 ““Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
From this reading Heath rose.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
a plan or design of something that is laid out
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
above and across; more than
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Heath rose.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
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 The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
express a supposition
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
carry out
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Housekeeper’s Story (Friday, June 14; 11 a.m.)
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
up to a particular time
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Anyway, I don’t want to question the housekeeper until the body has been removed.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Now,” suggested Markham, “suppose we take a look over the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I imagine you’ve done that pretty thoroughly already, Sergeant, but I’d like to see the layout.
Chapter 5 of The Benson murder case by S. S. Van Dine holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 256 sentences of The Benson murder case, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Benson murder case by S. S. Van Dine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Benson murder case by S. S. Van Dine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6620 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70634, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 551 minutes of reading across 1324 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Benson murder case section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Benson murder case 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 Benson murder case, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
