Chapter 1 of The Five Jars is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Five Jars is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
M. R. JAMES. Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York. Longmans, Green & Co. London. Edward Arnold & Co.
Chapter 1 of The Five Jars is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “Edward Arnold & Co.”
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.”
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading “Edward Arnold & Co.”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “M. R. JAMES.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “London.”
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.”
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 “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
an expert or collector of antiquities
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading Edward Arnold & Co.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading Longmans, Green & Co.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading Edward Arnold & Co.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Longmans, Green & Co.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading M. R. JAMES.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Longmans, Green & Co.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading M. R. JAMES.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading M. R. JAMES.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Author of "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" New York.
Chapter 1 of The Five Jars by M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James holds 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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 1 holds 473 sentences of The Five Jars, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Five Jars by M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 1 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 Five Jars by M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1381 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 115 minutes of reading across 277 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Five Jars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Five Jars 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 Five Jars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
