Chapter 5 of The Cities of the Sun is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Cities of the Sun is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It is better so," he muttered with finality. He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene. He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached. When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake. In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.
Chapter 5 of The Cities of the Sun is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading “He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.”
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.”
the quality of being final or definitely settled
From this reading “"It is better so," he muttered with finality.”
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading “In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.”
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading “When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.”
(of farmland) broken and turned over with a plow
From this reading “He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.”
showing firm determination or purpose
From this reading “He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.”
in a vicious manner
From this reading “He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.”
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 “When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.”
In this reading “In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.”
In this reading “He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.”
In this reading “In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.”
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.
past form of “ache” — feel physical pain
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
(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 "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
the quality of being final or definitely settled
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
(of farmland) broken and turned over with a plow
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
showing firm determination or purpose
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He took the other canoe and resolutely turned his back on the scene.
up to a particular time
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
in a vicious manner
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading In the shadow of the giant trees he walked.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading He plowed viciously through the water until his mighty arms ached.
at the time that
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "It is better so," he muttered with finality.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading When he had worn himself out he landed on the opposite shore of the lake.
Chapter 5 of The Cities of the Sun by Elizabeth Cannon Porter holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The Cities of the Sun, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Cities of the Sun by Elizabeth Cannon Porter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Cities of the Sun by Elizabeth Cannon Porter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50955 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50955, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 480 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cities of the Sun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Cities of the Sun 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 Cities of the Sun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
