Chapter 5 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel. 'That's good,' said Charlie. There was a pause. 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said. She could not keep off the subject.
Chapter 5 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
the longest river of Asia; flows eastward from Tibet into the East China Sea near Shanghai
From this reading “'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.”
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading “'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.”
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.”
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading “'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.”
plural of “mandarin” — shrub or small tree having flattened globose fruit with very sweet aromatic pulp and thin yellow-orange to flame-orange rind that is loose and easily removed; native to southeastern Asia
From this reading “'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.”
a wrapped container
From this reading “She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “There was a pause.”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.”
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 There was a pause.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
later than; following
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
the longest river of Asia; flows eastward from Tibet into the East China Sea near Shanghai
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'That's good,' said Charlie.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could not keep off the subject.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading 'That's good,' said Charlie.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
and nothing more
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading She could not keep off the subject.
an event that causes someone to die
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
immediately past
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
a soft silver-white univalent element of the alkali metal group; the lightest metal known; occurs in several minerals
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
plural of “mandarin” — shrub or small tree having flattened globose fruit with very sweet aromatic pulp and thin yellow-orange to flame-orange rind that is loose and easily removed; native to southeastern Asia
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She could not keep off the subject.
a wrapped container
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading There was a pause.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'That's good,' said Charlie.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading She could not keep off the subject.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'That's good,' said Charlie.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a pause.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a pause.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading 'Strange, Li Hung Chang dying last night, just after we had been talking about killing mandarins,' she said.
a Caucasian
From this reading She stood against the mantelpiece, so that he should not see the white parcel.
Chapter 5 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 434 sentences of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Grim Smile of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4736 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4734 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4734, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 948 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Grim Smile of the Five Towns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns 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 Grim Smile of the Five Towns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
