Chapter 5 of The Dragon's Secret is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Dragon's Secret is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt." "What?" demanded Phyllis. "That it wasn't a _ghost_ around here. I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!" The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
Chapter 5 of The Dragon's Secret is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
any cognitive content held as true
From this reading “The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.”
a reduction in the gross amount on which a tax is calculated; reduces taxes by the percentage fixed for the taxpayer's income bracket
From this reading “The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.”
-ing form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading “AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."”
a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
From this reading “I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"”
a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement
From this reading “The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.”
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading “AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.”
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 AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "That it wasn't a _ghost_ around here.
any cognitive content held as true
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
a reduction in the gross amount on which a tax is calculated; reduces taxes by the percentage fixed for the taxpayer's income bracket
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "What?" demanded Phyllis.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
-ing form of “explore” — inquire into
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading "That it wasn't a _ghost_ around here.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "That it wasn't a _ghost_ around here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "That it wasn't a _ghost_ around here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
an organization to gain political power
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What?" demanded Phyllis.
third-person singular of “prove” — be shown or be found to be
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The deduction somewhat staggered Phyllis in her pet belief.
a special situation
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That it wasn't a _ghost_ around here.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading AN EXPLORING PARTY "Well!" was Leslie's first remark, "that proves _one_ thing beyond a doubt."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What?" demanded Phyllis.
which person or people
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
but in spite of that
From this reading I never yet heard of a ghost who made a footprint!"
Chapter 5 of The Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of The Dragon's Secret, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Dragon's Secret by Augusta Huiell Seaman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2487 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25770 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25770, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dragon's Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Dragon's Secret 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 Dragon's Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
