Chapter 5 of The Cry at Midnight is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Cry at Midnight is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Suddenly the study door was flung open. The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast. "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk. "What's wrong, Winkey?" "Trouble below!"
Chapter 5 of The Cry at Midnight is here in full — 436 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.”
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “Suddenly the study door was flung open.”
an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column
From this reading “The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.”
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading “The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.”
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading “"Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “"Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “Suddenly the study door was flung open.”
in a short and concise manner
From this reading “"Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.”
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 “The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.”
In this reading “Suddenly the study door was flung open.”
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.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading "Trouble below!"
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
in a short and concise manner
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The hunchback stood there, breathing hard from having hurried so fast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Come quick!" he said tersely to the monk.
a source of difficulty
From this reading "Trouble below!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Suddenly the study door was flung open.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's wrong, Winkey?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's wrong, Winkey?"
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "What's wrong, Winkey?"
Chapter 5 of The Cry at Midnight by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 436 sentences of The Cry at Midnight, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Cry at Midnight by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 436 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Cry at Midnight by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3881 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34441 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34441, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cry at Midnight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Cry at Midnight 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 Cry at Midnight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
