Chapter 5 of The Desert and the Sown is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Desert and the Sown is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath. There was less strain in his voice. It broke with feeling. “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it. I don't say it's best.
Chapter 5 of The Desert and the Sown is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading ““You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.”
lacking funds
From this reading “It broke with feeling.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading ““You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading ““You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading ““You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.”
a workman employed to pack things into containers
From this reading ““You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.”
emotionally purging (of e.g. art)
From this reading ““You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.”
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading “There was less strain in his voice.”
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 “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading I don't say it's best.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
lacking funds
From this reading It broke with feeling.
an occurrence of something
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't say it's best.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading It broke with feeling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't say it's best.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was less strain in his voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It broke with feeling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't say it's best.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading There was less strain in his voice.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
a workman employed to pack things into containers
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
emotionally purging (of e.g. art)
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
express in words
From this reading I don't say it's best.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading There was less strain in his voice.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was less strain in his voice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was less strain in his voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was less strain in his voice.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It broke with feeling.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You ought to been a lawyer,” said the packer, releasing his breath.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You put up a mighty strong case for your way of looking at it.
Chapter 5 of The Desert and the Sown by Mary Hallock Foote holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of The Desert and the Sown, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Desert and the Sown by Mary Hallock Foote exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Desert and the Sown by Mary Hallock Foote on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4731 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 947 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desert and the Sown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Desert and the Sown 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 Desert and the Sown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
