Chapter 5 of The Idiot at Home is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Idiot at Home is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet. "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh. "I am not equal to it. I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music. But we are becoming discursive.
Chapter 5 of The Idiot at Home is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading “But we are becoming discursive.”
proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition
From this reading “But we are becoming discursive.”
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading “"I am not equal to it.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “"It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.”
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading “I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.”
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading “"Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “"It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.”
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “"It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.”
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 "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am not equal to it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading But we are becoming discursive.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition
From this reading But we are becoming discursive.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading "I am not equal to it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am not equal to it.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
not any; not one
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I am not equal to it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Give me that idea, old man!" cried the Poet.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I am not equal to it.
the act of using
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But we are becoming discursive.
which person or people
From this reading I may be able to think thoughts, but thoughts are of no more use to me than a piano is to a man who can't read music.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading "It is yours from this on," said the Idiot, with a sigh.
Chapter 5 of The Idiot at Home by John Kendrick Bangs holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of The Idiot at Home, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Idiot at Home by John Kendrick Bangs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Idiot at Home by John Kendrick Bangs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2276 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39682 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39682, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 189 minutes of reading across 456 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Idiot at Home section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Idiot at Home 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 Idiot at Home, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
