Chapter 5 of The First of the English: A Novel is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The First of the English: A Novel is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!” “Bravo!” cries the Fleming, “Bravo! But first she must love you.” “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid. “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
Chapter 5 of The First of the English: A Novel is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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 fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading ““I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.”
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading ““Bravo!” cries the Fleming, “Bravo!”
(Roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of Greek Eros
From this reading ““I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.”
third-person singular of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ““I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.”
British writer famous for writing spy novels about secret agent James Bond (1908-1964)
From this reading ““Bravo!” cries the Fleming, “Bravo!”
look with amazement; look stupidly
From this reading ““THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!””
possessive form of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading ““I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.”
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.
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
From this reading “Bravo!” cries the Fleming, “Bravo!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But first she must love you.”
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
having or marked by confidence or assurance
From this reading “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading “Bravo!” cries the Fleming, “Bravo!
(Roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of Greek Eros
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
third-person singular of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading But first she must love you.”
British writer famous for writing spy novels about secret agent James Bond (1908-1964)
From this reading “Bravo!” cries the Fleming, “Bravo!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!”
look with amazement; look stupidly
From this reading “THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading “THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!”
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
possessive form of “lion” — large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading “THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading But first she must love you.”
engage in
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading But first she must love you.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But first she must love you.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “THE LION’S JAWS GAPE FOR ME!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “I’ll make her love me,” exclaims Chester, looking at the ruby ring upon his finger that seems to him not the red light of danger, but the beacon of Cupid.
(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 “Well, I’m glad you are so confident.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But first she must love you.”
Chapter 5 of The First of the English: A Novel by Archibald Clavering Gunter holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 254 sentences of The First of the English: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The First of the English: A Novel by Archibald Clavering Gunter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 First of the English: A Novel by Archibald Clavering Gunter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The First of the English: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The First of the English: A Novel 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 First of the English: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
