Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed. She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed. My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me. "Do not you need this?" asked she. "I have made it for you."
Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
self-consciously timid
From this reading “She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.”
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading “Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.”
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
From this reading “Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.”
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading “My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.”
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading “Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.”
inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.”
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading “My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.”
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 My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
move towards
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Do not you need this?" asked she.
self-consciously timid
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
a state at a particular time
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do not you need this?" asked she.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I have made it for you."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have made it for you."
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I have made it for you."
a fabric woven with fibers from the flax plant
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I have made it for you."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "Do not you need this?" asked she.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not seem bashful, nor anywise embarrassed.
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
of the white color of snow
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
with low volume
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
express a supposition
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Do not you need this?" asked she.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
precisely as stated
From this reading Priscilla came softly to my bedside, and held out an article of snow-white linen, very carefully and smoothly ironed.
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading My weakly condition, I suppose, supplied a medium in which she could approach me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do not you need this?" asked she.
Chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of The Blithedale Romance, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3406 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2081, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 682 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blithedale Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Blithedale Romance 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 Blithedale Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
