The Eternal City

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Eternal City is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Hall, Sir Caine • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

"I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

A faint sound came from him, and she was aware that he was leaning forward to see her face, so she dropped her eyes, partly to let him look at her, and partly to avoid meeting his gaze.

"I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

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Chapter V Reading 1/80

The Eternal City Hall, Sir Caine

Chapter V

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Eternal City is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

"I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless." A faint sound came from him, and she was aware that he was leaning forward to see her face, so she dropped her eyes, partly to let him look at her, and partly to avoid meeting his gaze. "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning. It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me." He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

The Eternal City

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Eternal City is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

"I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

/aɪ æm ˈduːɪŋ ə ˈveri əˈnjuːʒuːəl θɪŋ ɪn ˈkʌmɪŋ tuː siː juː ʃiː sed bʌt juː hæv fɔːrst miː tuː ɪt ənd aɪ æm kwaɪt ˈhelpləs/

Line 2

A faint sound came from him, and she was aware that he was leaning forward to see her face, so she dropped her eyes, partly to let him look at her, and partly to avoid meeting his gaze.

/ə feɪnt saʊnd keɪm frʌm hɪm ənd ʃiː wɑːz əˈwer ðæt hiː wɑːz ˈliːnɪŋ ˈfɔːrwərd tuː siː hɜːr feɪs soʊ ʃiː drɑːpt hɜːr aɪz ˈpɑːrtli tuː let hɪm lʊk æt hɜːr ənd ˈpɑːrtli tuː əˈvɔɪd ˈmiːtɪŋ hɪz ɡeɪz/

Line 3

"I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

/aɪ hɜːrd jɔːr spiːtʃ ɪn ðə piˈæzə ðɪs ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

Line 4

It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

/ɪt wʊd biː ˈjuːsləs tuː dɪsˈɡaɪz ðə fækt ðæt sʌm ʌv ɪts ˈrefərənsɪz wɜːr ment fɔːr miː/

Line 5

He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

/hiː dɪd nɑːt spiːk ənd ʃiː pleɪd wɪð ðə ɡlʌv ɪn hɜːr læp ənd kənˈtɪnjuːd ɪn ðə seɪm sɑːft vɔɪs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

disguise noun US /dɪsˈɡaɪz/

A means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity.

From this reading “It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."”

glove noun US /ɡlʌv/

the handwear used by fielders in playing baseball

From this reading “He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:”

helpless adjective US /ˈhelpləs/

lacking in or deprived of strength or power

From this reading “"I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."”

lap verb US /læp/

lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another

From this reading “He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:”

piazza noun US /piˈæzə/

a public square with room for pedestrians

From this reading “"I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.”

references noun US /ˈrefərənsɪz/

plural of “reference” — a remark that calls attention to something or someone

From this reading “It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."”

unusual adjective US /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading “"I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."”

useless adjective US /ˈjuːsləs/

having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully

From this reading “It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A faint sound came from him, and she was aware that he was leaning forward to see her face, so she dropped her eyes, partly to let him look at her, and partly to avoid meeting his gaze.

avoidverbUS /əˈvɔɪd/

stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

awareadjectiveUS /əˈwer/

(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

continuedadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

disguisenounUS /dɪsˈɡaɪz/

A means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity.

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

doingverbUS /ˈduːɪŋ/

-ing form of “do” — engage in

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/

deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

forcedadjectiveUS /fɔːrst/

produced by or subjected to forcing

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

gazenounUS /ɡeɪz/

a long fixed look

glovenounUS /ɡlʌv/

the handwear used by fielders in playing baseball

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

helplessadjectiveUS /ˈhelpləs/

lacking in or deprived of strength or power

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

lapverbUS /læp/

lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

leaningadjectiveUS /ˈliːnɪŋ/

departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

meantverbUS /ment/

inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

partlyadverbUS /ˈpɑːrtli/

to some extent; in some degree; not wholly

piazzanounUS /piˈæzə/

a public square with room for pedestrians

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

playedadjectiveUS /pleɪd/

(of games) engaged in

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

referencesnounUS /ˈrefərənsɪz/

plural of “reference” — a remark that calls attention to something or someone

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

speechnounUS /spiːtʃ/

the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

unusualadjectiveUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

uselessadjectiveUS /ˈjuːsləs/

having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He did not speak, and she played with the glove in her lap, and continued in the same soft voice:

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It would be useless to disguise the fact that some of its references were meant for me."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I am doing a very unusual thing in coming to see you," she said, "but you have forced me to it, and I am quite helpless."

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I heard your speech in the piazza this morning.

Chapter 5 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Eternal City contain?

Chapter 5 holds 400 sentences of The Eternal City, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Eternal City?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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.

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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.

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Yes. All 12439 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #19732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter V · Chapter 5

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