Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The boy, me and the cat
The boy, me and the cat

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The boy, me and the cat is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The boy, me and the cat
Context Illustration Reading 1/92 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.
Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.
Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.
Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.
Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The boy, me and the cat

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The boy, me and the cat is here in full — 463 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/92 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.
Line 2
Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.
/ˈnevər hæd ˈseɪlboʊt ə ˈbetər ˈweðər tʃæns tuː wɜːrk ˈsaʊθwərd/
Line 3
Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.
Line 4
Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.
Line 5
Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.
/pæst ə faɪn bɪt ʌv oʊld ˈspænɪʃ ˈruːən/

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.

airs noun US /erz/

affected manners intended to impress others

From this reading “_February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.”

February noun US /ˈfebjəweri/

the month following January and preceding March

mending noun US /ˈmendɪŋ/

garments that must be repaired

From this reading “Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.”

northerly adjective US /ˈnɔːrðərli/

situated in or oriented toward the north

From this reading “_February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.”

sailboat noun US /ˈseɪlboʊt/

a small sailing vessel; usually with a single mast

From this reading “Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.”

southward adverb US /ˈsaʊθwərd/

toward the south

From this reading “Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.”

spells noun US /spelz/

plural of “spell” — a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

From this reading “Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.”

tide noun US /taɪd/

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

From this reading “Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

slipped away verb + particle counted as “slip away”

leave furtively and stealthily

In this reading “Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.”

fair wind adjective + noun

In this reading “Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

30

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

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

6th

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

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

8

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

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

abooming

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

From this reading Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

airsnounUS /erz/

affected manners intended to impress others

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

AnotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

chancenounUS /tʃæns/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

DownadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.

easyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/

posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

fairadjectiveUS /fer/

free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.

FebruarynounUS /ˈfebjəweri/

the month following January and preceding March

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

fineadjectiveUS /faɪn/

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

hardadjectiveUS /hɑːrd/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

mendingnounUS /ˈmendɪŋ/

garments that must be repaired

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

NeveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

northerlyadjectiveUS /ˈnɔːrðərli/

situated in or oriented toward the north

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

PassedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

peacherino

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

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

previousadjectiveUS /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.

ruinnounUS /ˈruːən/

an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

sailboatnounUS /ˈseɪlboʊt/

a small sailing vessel; usually with a single mast

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

slippedverbUS /slɪpt/

inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

southwardadverbUS /ˈsaʊθwərd/

toward the south

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

SpanishnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading Passed a fine bit of old Spanish ruin.

spellsnounUS /spelz/

plural of “spell” — a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

tidenounUS /taɪd/

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

From this reading Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

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 Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading Down river with fair wind and tide abooming.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading Never had sailboat a better weather chance to work southward.

workingadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ/

actively engaged in paid work

From this reading _February 6th._ Another peacherino morning with nice working northerly airs.

Wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Would like to work it hard but am only just mending up after the previous hard spells and must go easy, so 8:30 before we slipped away.

Chapter 5 of The boy, me and the cat by Henry Merrihew Plummer holds 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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 The boy, me and the cat contain?

Chapter 5 holds 463 sentences of The boy, me and the cat, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The boy, me and the cat by Henry Merrihew Plummer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 463 sentences, grouped into 93 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 The boy, me and the cat?

Work through the 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 93 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 The boy, me and the cat

Common questions about reading The boy, me and the cat by Henry Merrihew Plummer on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The boy, me and the cat?

Yes. All 3166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74010 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The boy, me and the cat is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #74010, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The boy, me and the cat take to read?

About 263 minutes of reading across 634 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The boy, me and the cat section by section

How to work through The boy, me and the cat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of The boy, me and the cat 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 The boy, me and the cat

Words and structures a reader meets early in The boy, me and the cat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Cyrus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy, me and the cat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chandler
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy, me and the cat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Company
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy, me and the cat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hampshire
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The boy, me and the cat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.