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The crooked cross
The crooked cross

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The crooked cross is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The crooked cross
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.
In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.
Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.
There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.
We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.
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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 crooked cross

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The crooked cross is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.
/ðə ˈɪnkwest ten əˈklɑːk ðə nekst ˈmɔːrnɪŋ faʊnd ʌs ˈkrɔːsɪŋ ðə ˈvɪlədʒ ɡriːn/
Line 2
In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.
/ɪn frʌnt ʌv ʌs wɑːz ðə kɔːrt haʊs wer ðə ˈɪnkwest wɑːz tuː biː held ɪts frʌnt steps fɪld wɪð ˈpiːpəl/
Line 3
Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.
/kɑːrz wɜːr pɑːrkt əˈlɔːŋ ðə striːts ənd wɜːr ərˈaɪvɪŋ ˈevəri ˈsekənd/
Line 4
There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.
/ðer wɑːz noʊ daʊt ðə ˈsʌdən deθ ʌv ˈwɔːrən hæd ˈpruːvən tuː biː ðə ˈɡreɪtəst senˈseɪʃən ʌv ˈmeni jɪrz ənd ˈpiːpəl wɜːr ˈkʌmɪŋ frʌm ɔːl dərˈekʃənz tuː hiːr wʌt ðə ˈɪnkwest maɪt brɪŋ fɔːrθ/
Line 5
We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.
/wiː pʊʃt ˈaʊər weɪ θruː ðə kraʊd ɑːn ðə kɔːrt haʊs steps ənd ˈɪntuː ðə ˈbɪldɪŋ/

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.

arriving verb US /ərˈaɪvɪŋ/

-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading “Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.”

Cars noun US /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading “Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.”

crossing noun US /ˈkrɔːsɪŋ/

traveling across

From this reading “The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.”

inquest noun US /ˈɪnkwest/

an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death

From this reading “The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.”

parked adjective US /pɑːrkt/

that have been left

From this reading “Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.”

proven adjective US /ˈpruːvən/

established beyond doubt

From this reading “There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.”

sensation noun US /senˈseɪʃən/

an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation

From this reading “There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.”

Warren noun US /ˈwɔːrən/

United States writer and poet (1905-1989)

From this reading “There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.”

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.

next morning adjective + noun

In this reading “The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.”

many years adjective + noun

In this reading “There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.”

bring forth verb + particle

bring into existence

In this reading “There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.”

sudden death adjective + noun

(sports) overtime in which play is stopped as soon as one contestant scores; e.g. football and golf

In this reading “There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.”

front steps noun + noun

In this reading “In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.”

along the streets preposition + article + noun counted as “along … street”

In this reading “Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.”

In front preposition + noun

at or in the front

In this reading “In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.”

village green noun + noun

a village park consisting of a plot of grassy land

In this reading “The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

arrivingverbUS /ərˈaɪvɪŋ/

-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

CarsnounUS /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

crossingnounUS /ˈkrɔːsɪŋ/

traveling across

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

crowdverbUS /kraʊd/

cause to herd, drive, or crowd together

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

directionsnounUS /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

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

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

frontnounUS /frʌnt/

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

HousenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

InquestnounUS /ˈɪnkwest/

an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

parkedadjectiveUS /pɑːrkt/

that have been left

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

provenadjectiveUS /ˈpruːvən/

established beyond doubt

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

pushedverbUS /pʊʃt/

past form of “push” — move with force

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

sensationnounUS /senˈseɪʃən/

an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

stepsnounUS /steps/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

streetsnounUS /striːts/

plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/

happening without warning or in a short space of time

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

TennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading The Inquest Ten o'clock the next morning found us crossing the village green.

WarrennounUS /ˈwɔːrən/

United States writer and poet (1905-1989)

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We pushed our way through the crowd on the Court House steps and into the building.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Cars were parked along the streets and were arriving every second.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In front of us was the Court House, where the inquest was to be held, its front steps filled with people.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading There was no doubt the sudden death of Warren had proven to be the greatest sensation of many years and people were coming from all directions to hear what the inquest might bring forth.

Chapter 5 of The crooked cross by Charles J. (Charles Judson) Dutton holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 crooked cross contain?

Chapter 5 holds 246 sentences of The crooked cross, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The crooked cross by Charles J. (Charles Judson) Dutton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 crooked cross?

Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 50 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 crooked cross

Common questions about reading The crooked cross by Charles J. (Charles Judson) Dutton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The crooked cross?

Yes. All 4312 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73254 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The crooked cross is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73254, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The crooked cross take to read?

About 359 minutes of reading across 863 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The crooked cross section by section

How to work through The crooked cross section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of The crooked cross 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 crooked cross

Words and structures a reader meets early in The crooked cross, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The crooked cross; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Always
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The crooked cross; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Found
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The crooked cross; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bartley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The crooked cross; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.