Chapter 5 of The Insect Folk is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Insect Folk is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings. The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper. The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads. See John's eyes twinkling! I believe--yes, he has!
Chapter 5 of The Insect Folk is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings; male has drum-like organs for producing a high-pitched drone
From this reading “They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.”
resembling glass in smoothness and shininess and slickness
From this reading “They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.”
terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping
From this reading “The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.”
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “See John's eyes twinkling!”
the immature free-living form of most invertebrates and amphibians and fish which at hatching from the egg is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose
From this reading “The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.”
plural of “pad” — a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
From this reading “The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.”
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading “They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.”
plural of “split” — extending the legs at right angles to the trunk (one in front and the other in back)
From this reading “They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.”
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 They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I believe--yes, he has!
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings; male has drum-like organs for producing a high-pitched drone
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
opinion or judgment
From this reading See John's eyes twinkling!
enclose with a fence
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
resembling glass in smoothness and shininess and slickness
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I believe--yes, he has!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I believe--yes, he has!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I believe--yes, he has!
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading See John's eyes twinkling!
the immature free-living form of most invertebrates and amphibians and fish which at hatching from the egg is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
immediately past
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The wings of the larva do not grow at each moult like the wings of the grasshopper.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
plural of “pad” — a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See John's eyes twinkling!
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
plural of “split” — extending the legs at right angles to the trunk (one in front and the other in back)
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading See John's eyes twinkling!
a black garment (dress) worn by a widow as a sign of mourning
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading The larva never gets beyond short little wing pads.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They climb trees, or weeds, or fence posts, and then the skin splits down the back for the last time, and out comes a full-grown cicada with bright glassy wings.
an affirmative
From this reading I believe--yes, he has!
Chapter 5 of The Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 461 sentences of The Insect Folk, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 93 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 Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18790 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18790, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 224 minutes of reading across 538 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Insect Folk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Insect Folk 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 Insect Folk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
