Chapter 5 of The dark mother is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The dark mother is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed. Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her. Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother. She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?” “You know it never is.
Chapter 5 of The dark mother is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading “Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.”
measured by an angle or by the rate of change of an angle
From this reading “Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.”
restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds
From this reading “Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.”
dominance or power through legal authority
From this reading “Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.”
plural of “perception” — the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept
From this reading “Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.”
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading “Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.”
with tenderness; in a tender manner
From this reading “She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?””
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 “Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.”
bypass
In this reading “Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.”
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 In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed.
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
measured by an angle or by the rate of change of an angle
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed.
restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
dominance or power through legal authority
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed.
a young female
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know it never is.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading In a flash Cornelia’s mood changed.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “You know it never is.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
above and across; more than
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
plural of “perception” — the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
with tenderness; in a tender manner
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her perceptions had controlled her--the acute and angular and severe in her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
male cat
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
in the direction of
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now she was seated toward him on the couch; it was as if dominion had passed over to her eyes that were large on her brother.
but in spite of that
From this reading She spoke tenderly: “It’s not a girl yet, is it, Tom?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You know it never is.
Chapter 5 of The dark mother by Waldo David Frank holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The dark mother, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The dark mother by Waldo David Frank exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 dark mother by Waldo David Frank on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The dark mother section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The dark mother 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 dark mother, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
