Chapter 5 of The House in Town is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The House in Town is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired. Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day. "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?" Norton asked. "I don't know.
Chapter 5 of The House in Town is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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 mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
manner of acting or controlling yourself
From this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"”
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.”
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 “"Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"”
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.
In this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
In this reading “Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.”
In this reading “It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.”
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 Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
later than; following
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Norton asked.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
manner of acting or controlling yourself
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
where you live at a particular time
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
above and across; more than
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
precisely as stated
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was near dark by the time they got home, and Matilda was tired.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
during the time that
From this reading Tea and lights and rest were very pleasant; and after tea she sat down on a cushion by Mrs. Laval's side, while Norton told over the doings of the day.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in 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 "Which room will Matilda have, mamma, in New York?"
Chapter 5 of The House in Town by Susan Warner holds 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 468 sentences of The House in Town, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The House in Town by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 House in Town by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5293 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House in Town section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The House in Town 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 House in Town, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
