Chapter 5 of The Gates Ajar is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Gates Ajar is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.” Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust. “Mary, don’t question me about _that_. That belongs to the unutterable things. God will take care of it.
Chapter 5 of The Gates Ajar is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
third-person singular of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “That belongs to the unutterable things.”
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading ““But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.””
make reference to
From this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
past form of “pale” — turn pale, as if in fear
From this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
plural of “pale” — a wooden strip forming part of a fence
From this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
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.
be careful, prudent, or watchful
In this reading “God will take care of it.”
In this reading “That belongs to the unutterable things.”
In this reading ““But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.””
In this reading “Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.”
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 “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Mary, don’t question me about _that_.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
third-person singular of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading That belongs to the unutterable things.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading God will take care of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mary, don’t question me about _that_.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
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 God will take care of it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
held dear
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “Mary, don’t question me about _that_.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Mary, don’t question me about _that_.
make reference to
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
past form of “pale” — turn pale, as if in fear
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
plural of “pale” — a wooden strip forming part of a fence
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Mary, don’t question me about _that_.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
carry out
From this reading God will take care of it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Mary, don’t question me about _that_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But O, there is a great gulf fixed; and on one side one, and on the other another, and they loved each other.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading That belongs to the unutterable things.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That belongs to the unutterable things.
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading Her face paled,--it always pales, I notice, at the mention of this mystery,--but her eyes never lost by a shade their steadfast trust.
too sacred to be uttered
From this reading That belongs to the unutterable things.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading God will take care of it.
Chapter 5 of The Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps holds 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 450 sentences of The Gates Ajar, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2735 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54230 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54230, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 227 minutes of reading across 547 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gates Ajar section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Gates Ajar 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 Gates Ajar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
