Chapter 5 of The Best Ghost Stories is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Best Ghost Stories is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Frank shook his head again. "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing. And I have never been so occupied. Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?" "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
Chapter 5 of The Best Ghost Stories is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “"I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “Frank shook his head again.”
held or filled or in use
From this reading “And I have never been so occupied.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “Frank shook his head again.”
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading “"You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.”
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading “"You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.”
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.
anew
From this reading Frank shook his head again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I have never been so occupied.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank shook his head again.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Frank shook his head again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Frank shook his head again.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading And I have never been so occupied.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
held or filled or in use
From this reading And I have never been so occupied.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
express in words
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Frank shook his head again.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And I have never been so occupied.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I mean exactly what I say," he said, "I have been _doing_ nothing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Look at me; have I not done something to myself to begin with?"
a late time of life
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading "You are two years younger than I," said Darcy, "at least you used to be.
Chapter 5 of The Best Ghost Stories by Joseph Lewis [Editor] French holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of The Best Ghost Stories, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Best Ghost Stories by Joseph Lewis [Editor] French exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Best Ghost Stories by Joseph Lewis [Editor] French on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4199 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17893 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17893, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 840 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Best Ghost Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Best Ghost Stories 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 Best Ghost Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
