Chapter 5 of The Crooked House is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Crooked House is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him. "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly. "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone. "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him. "It was," Monsieur Dupont admitted.
Chapter 5 of The Crooked House is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading “"What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “"It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.”
plural of “corps” — an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support
From this reading “THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.”
a person of French nationality
From this reading “"A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.”
pierce with many holes
From this reading “"A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.”
past form of “tempt” — dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading “"It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.”
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 "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "It was," Monsieur Dupont admitted.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
plural of “corps” — an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It was," Monsieur Dupont admitted.
to the same degree (often followed by “as”)
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
a person of French nationality
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
a high ranking police officer
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "It was," Monsieur Dupont admitted.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
with low volume
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
pierce with many holes
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
past form of “tempt” — dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It must have been something pretty big to have tempted _you_," the inspector remarked, coming closer to him.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "A riddle," the Frenchman answered, in an equally low tone.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading THE TRAIL OF CORPSES The inspector closed the door behind him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was," Monsieur Dupont admitted.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What has brought you back into the arena?" he asked quietly.
Chapter 5 of The Crooked House by Brandon Fleming holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 81 sentences of The Crooked House, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Crooked House by Brandon Fleming exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Crooked House by Brandon Fleming on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4272 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 855 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Crooked House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Crooked House 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 Crooked House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
