Chapter 5 of The House That Grew is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 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 That Grew is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'WHAT _CAN_ SHE MEAN?' I remember that Monday afternoon so well. It was very interesting. Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted. Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
Chapter 5 of The House That Grew is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 woodworker who makes or repairs wooden objects
From this reading “Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.”
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading “Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.”
a native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
From this reading “Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.”
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.”
United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading “Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “I remember that Monday afternoon so well.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.”
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 “Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.”
In this reading “Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.”
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 Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
a youthful male person
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading 'WHAT _CAN_ SHE MEAN?'
a woodworker who makes or repairs wooden objects
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
a native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading It was very interesting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was very interesting.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
United States comic actor in silent films; he used physical danger as a source of comedy (1893-1971)
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading 'WHAT _CAN_ SHE MEAN?'
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
on the contrary
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
To recall to mind.
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'WHAT _CAN_ SHE MEAN?'
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Papa was as eager as a boy, and Geordie full of ideas too.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was very interesting.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Mr. Lloyd was very kind and clever about things, and the carpenter, though a rather slow, very silent man, understood his business and was quite ready to do all that was wanted.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was very interesting.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading I remember that Monday afternoon so well.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'WHAT _CAN_ SHE MEAN?'
Chapter 5 of The House That Grew by Mrs. Molesworth holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of The House That Grew, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The House That Grew by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 That Grew by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2198 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39554 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39554, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 183 minutes of reading across 440 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House That Grew section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The House That Grew 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 That Grew, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
