Chapter 5 of The humour of Russia is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The humour of Russia is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_). What is it? _Pod._ No, madam; tell me first, will you think it strange? _Agàfia._ I can’t. What is it?
Chapter 5 of The humour of Russia is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
being ahead of time or need
From this reading “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
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 “_Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).”
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 _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
being ahead of time or need
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Agàfia._ I can’t.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
opinion or judgment
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading _Pod._ No, madam; tell me first, will you think it strange?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What is it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
a woman of refinement
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Pod._ No, madam; tell me first, will you think it strange?
not any; not one
From this reading _Pod._ No, madam; tell me first, will you think it strange?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
and nothing more
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
express in words
From this reading _Pod._ No, madam; tell me first, will you think it strange?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is it?
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
hope for; have a wish
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _Pod._ I have come, madam, to explain a certain matter—only I should wish to know beforehand whether you will not think it strange—— _Agàfia_ (_dropping her eyes_).
Chapter 5 of The humour of Russia by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) [Translator] Voynich holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of The humour of Russia, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The humour of Russia by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) [Translator] Voynich exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The humour of Russia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
