Chapter 5 of The Compleat Bachelor is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Compleat Bachelor is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy. Caroline evidently disapproved strongly. She caught my eye. “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said. “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
Chapter 5 of The Compleat Bachelor is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
English architect who designed many churches (1814-1900)
From this reading ““I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.”
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading “Caroline evidently disapproved strongly.”
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading ““I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.”
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading ““If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.”
past form of “disapprove” — consider bad or wrong
From this reading “Caroline evidently disapproved strongly.”
possessive form of “james” — a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
Norse chieftain who became the first duke of Normandy (860-931)
From this reading ““I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.”
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading ““If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.”
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 ““If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.”
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 don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
English architect who designed many churches (1814-1900)
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading Caroline evidently disapproved strongly.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She caught my eye.
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
past form of “disapprove” — consider bad or wrong
From this reading Caroline evidently disapproved strongly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Caroline evidently disapproved strongly.
the organ of sight
From this reading She caught my eye.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
possessive form of “james” — a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading She caught my eye.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
Norse chieftain who became the first duke of Normandy (860-931)
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading Caroline evidently disapproved strongly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If I were Millicent”--she straightened her back--“I wouldn’t dine with you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t think you’re a bit nice this evening, Rollo,” she said.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am beneath your roof, Mr. Butterfield,” she replied, with the dignity of St. James’s comedy.
Chapter 5 of The Compleat Bachelor by Oliver Onions holds 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 470 sentences of The Compleat Bachelor, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Compleat Bachelor by Oliver Onions exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 Compleat Bachelor by Oliver Onions on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2337 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45539 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45539, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 194 minutes of reading across 468 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Compleat Bachelor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Compleat Bachelor 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 Compleat Bachelor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
