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The Land of Content
The Land of Content

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Land of Content is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Land of Content
Context Illustration Reading 1/87 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.
"So!" he said.
"And where's Jim Allen?"
Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.
"Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Land of Content

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Land of Content is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.
Line 2
"So!" he said.
/soʊ hiː sed/
Line 3
"And where's Jim Allen?"
Line 4
Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.
Line 5
"Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

Learner Dictionary

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.

Allen noun US /ˈælən/

United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)

From this reading “"And where's Jim Allen?"”

breathing noun US /ˈbriːðɪŋ/

the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

From this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

drunk adjective US /drʌŋk/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading “"Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."”

hopelessly adverb US /ˈhoʊpləsli/

in a hopeless manner

From this reading “Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.”

persuade verb US /pərˈsweɪd/

win approval or support for

From this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

spoon noun US /spuːn/

a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food

From this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

stalwart adjective US /ˈstɔːlwərt/

having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships

From this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

stills noun US /stɪlz/

plural of “still” — a static photograph (especially one taken from a movie and used for advertising purposes)

From this reading “"Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

old man adjective + noun

a man who is very old

In this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

threw up verb + adjective counted as “throw up”

eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

In this reading “Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.”

in the woods preposition + article + noun counted as “in … woods”

In this reading “"Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."”

on the bed preposition + article + noun counted as “on … bed”

In this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

looked about verb + particle counted as “look about”

In this reading “The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.”

All words in this reading · 56

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

AllennounUS /ˈælən/

United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)

From this reading "And where's Jim Allen?"

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

babynounUS /ˈbeɪbi/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.

breathingnounUS /ˈbriːðɪŋ/

the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

cabinnounUS /ˈkæbən/

small room on a ship or boat where people sleep

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

drunkadjectiveUS /drʌŋk/

stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "So!" he said.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.

hopelesslyadverbUS /ˈhoʊpləsli/

in a hopeless manner

From this reading Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

insideadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

Jim

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "And where's Jim Allen?"

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

Ogilvie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

persuadeverbUS /pərˈsweɪd/

win approval or support for

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

Rosamund

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "So!" he said.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "So!" he said.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

spoonnounUS /spuːn/

a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

stalwartadjectiveUS /ˈstɔːlwərt/

having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

stillsnounUS /stɪlz/

plural of “still” — a static photograph (especially one taken from a movie and used for advertising purposes)

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

threwverbUS /θruː/

inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air

From this reading Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

tryingadjectiveUS /ˈtraɪɪŋ/

hard to endure

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Ogilvie threw up both his hands, hopelessly.

warmadjectiveUS /wɔːrm/

having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

where's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "And where's Jim Allen?"

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The stalwart old man stepped inside and looked about the cabin, at the quietly breathing woman on the bed, at Ogilvie, at Rosamund beside the fire trying to persuade the baby to take something warm from a spoon.

woodsnounUS /wʊdz/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading "Where he always is--back in the woods at one of the stills, dead drunk, like as not."

Chapter 5 of The Land of Content by Edith Barnard Delano holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Land of Content contain?

Chapter 5 holds 439 sentences of The Land of Content, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Land of Content by Edith Barnard Delano exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Land of Content?

Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 88 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Land of Content

Common questions about reading The Land of Content by Edith Barnard Delano on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Land of Content?

Yes. All 4350 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58680 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Land of Content is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #58680, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Land of Content take to read?

About 362 minutes of reading across 870 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Land of Content section by section

How to work through The Land of Content section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Land of Content to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Land of Content

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Land of Content, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

To-morrow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Content; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Replied
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Content; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
To-morrows
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Content; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Frontispiece
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Content; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.