Chapter 5 of The cheerful blackguard is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The cheerful blackguard is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me. I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls? My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention. That is why I wumble most confusedly. To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
Chapter 5 of The cheerful blackguard is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts
From this reading “To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.”
plural of “composer” — someone who composes music as a profession
From this reading “To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.”
inflected form of “copy” — copy down as is
From this reading “To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.”
third-person singular of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading “My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.”
jewelry consisting of a cord or chain (often bearing gems) worn about the neck as an ornament (especially by women)
From this reading “I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?”
plural of “puzzle” — a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading “THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.”
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
From this reading “My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.”
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 “I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?”
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 I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
plural of “composer” — someone who composes music as a profession
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
in a confused manner
From this reading That is why I wumble most confusedly.
inflected form of “copy” — copy down as is
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
third-person singular of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
engage in
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
used to form the superlative
From this reading That is why I wumble most confusedly.
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
jewelry consisting of a cord or chain (often bearing gems) worn about the neck as an ornament (especially by women)
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
make less visible or unclear
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
plural of “pearl” — a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
plural of “puzzle” — a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
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 My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
a lightweight cord
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To make each chapter a coherent story, I have copied the great musical composers.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading That is why I wumble most confusedly.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
the act of creating written works
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That is why I wumble most confusedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WUMPS This job of writing puzzles me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am like a merchant selling a pearl necklace: will you have my string or my pearls?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading My threadbare story is that of an obscure man, but illustrates a theme worthy of your attention.
Chapter 5 of The cheerful blackguard by Roger Pocock holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 89 sentences of The cheerful blackguard, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The cheerful blackguard by Roger Pocock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 cheerful blackguard by Roger Pocock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The cheerful blackguard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The cheerful blackguard 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 cheerful blackguard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
