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The first soprano
The first soprano

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The first soprano is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The first soprano
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IS GOD DEMONSTRABLE?
The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.
Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."
"I wish I knew Him.
I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The first soprano

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The first soprano is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IS GOD DEMONSTRABLE?
/ɪz ɡɑːd ˈdemənstrəbəl/
Line 2
The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.
Line 3
Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."
Line 4
"I wish I knew Him.
/aɪ wɪʃ aɪ nuː hɪm/
Line 5
I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.
/aɪ wɪʃ aɪ nuː ðə truːθ hiː rɪˈpiːtɪd tuː hɪmˈself əˈɡen ənd əˈɡen/

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.

accustomed adjective US /əˈkʌstəmd/

commonly used or practiced; usual

From this reading “Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."”

announcement noun US /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading “Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."”

attended adjective US /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading “Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."”

beaming adjective US /ˈbiːmɪŋ/

cheerful and bright

From this reading “Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."”

demonstrable adjective US /ˈdemənstrəbəl/

necessarily or demonstrably true

From this reading “IS GOD DEMONSTRABLE?”

haunted adjective US /ˈhɔːntɪd/

having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

From this reading “The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.”

skill noun US /skɪl/

an ability that has been acquired by training

From this reading “Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."”

undercurrent noun US /ˈʌndərkɜːrənt/

a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning

From this reading “Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

accustomedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌstəmd/

commonly used or practiced; usual

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/

a formal public statement

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

attendedadjectiveUS /əˈtendɪd/

playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

beamingadjectiveUS /ˈbiːmɪŋ/

cheerful and bright

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

DEMONSTRABLEadjectiveUS /ˈdemənstrəbəl/

necessarily or demonstrably true

From this reading IS GOD DEMONSTRABLE?

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

facenounUS /feɪs/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

GODnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading IS GOD DEMONSTRABLE?

hauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/

having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

hoursnounUS /ˈaʊərz/

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

Hubert

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

ISauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading IS GOD DEMONSTRABLE?

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "I wish I knew Him.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

MattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

memorynounUS /ˈmem.ər.i/

The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

presentedverbUS /priˈzentɪd/

past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

repeatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈpiːtɪd/

recurring again and again

From this reading I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.

scenenounUS /siːn/

the place where some action occurs

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

skillnounUS /skɪl/

an ability that has been acquired by training

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The scene of the morning in the garden haunted Hubert during the hours of business that day.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading I wish I knew the truth," he repeated to himself again and again.

undercurrentnounUS /ˈʌndərkɜːrənt/

a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

Winifred's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading "I wish I knew Him.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Matters were attended to with his accustomed skill, but always an undercurrent of memory presented to him Winifred's beaming face and her announcement, "I think I have begun to know God."

Chapter 5 of The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 first soprano contain?

Chapter 5 holds 219 sentences of The first soprano, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 first soprano?

Work through the 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 44 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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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Is this the complete text of The first soprano?

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

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Vocabulary met early in The first soprano

Words and structures a reader meets early in The first soprano, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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