Chapter 15 of The Fifth Ace is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Fifth Ace is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead. He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment. "I think Vernon must be ill." This from his mother. "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
Chapter 15 of The Fifth Ace is here in full — 274 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
From this reading “He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.”
-ing form of “apologize” — acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
From this reading “He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.”
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “"I think Vernon must be ill."”
A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one.
From this reading “GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.”
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “"The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.”
possessive form of “people” — (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.”
showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
From this reading “He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.”
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 GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
-ing form of “apologize” — acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I think Vernon must be ill."
a youthful male person
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
dearly loved
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
a social unit living together
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This from his mother.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
destroyed or killed
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This from his mother.
characteristic of the bony face of a cadaver
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think Vernon must be ill."
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "I think Vernon must be ill."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one.
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading This from his mother.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I think Vernon must be ill."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
possessive form of “people” — (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think Vernon must be ill."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This from his mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GONE A metamorphosis had taken place in Vernon Halstead.
precisely as stated
From this reading "The poor dear boy seems very pale and hollow-eyed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was distrait and mooned about the house, getting in people's way and apologizing with an air of such profound abstraction that the family were moved to comment.
Chapter 15 of The Fifth Ace by Isabel Ostrander holds 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 15 holds 274 sentences of The Fifth Ace, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Fifth Ace by Isabel Ostrander exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 274 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 15 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 Fifth Ace by Isabel Ostrander on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5674 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1135 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fifth Ace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Fifth Ace 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 Fifth Ace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
