Chapter 5 of The Dinner Club is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Dinner Club is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“‘But why?’ cried Jack. ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’ “McAndrew shrugged his shoulders. “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered. ‘Their ways are not our ways.’
Chapter 5 of The Dinner Club is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading ““‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading ““‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading ““‘But why?’ cried Jack.”
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading “‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’”
a small worthless amount
From this reading ““‘But why?’ cried Jack.”
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading ““McAndrew shrugged his shoulders.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading ““McAndrew shrugged his shoulders.”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “‘Their ways are not our ways.’”
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 “‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’”
In this reading “‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’”
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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ‘Their ways are not our ways.’
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “‘But why?’ cried Jack.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “‘But why?’ cried Jack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’
a quad with a square body
From this reading ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “McAndrew shrugged his shoulders.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’
a small worthless amount
From this reading “‘But why?’ cried Jack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “McAndrew shrugged his shoulders.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading ‘I’ve never done ’em any harm.’
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘Their ways are not our ways.’
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading ‘Their ways are not our ways.’
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading “McAndrew shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “McAndrew shrugged his shoulders.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “‘Don’t ask me that,’ he answered.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading ‘Their ways are not our ways.’
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading ‘Their ways are not our ways.’
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “‘But why?’ cried Jack.
Chapter 5 of The Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of The Dinner Club, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Dinner Club by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4821 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60525 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60525, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 965 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dinner Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Dinner Club 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 Dinner Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
