Chapter 5 of The laughter of Toffee is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The laughter of Toffee is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class." "Quite a haul," the judge said. "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else. What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep? Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
Chapter 5 of The laughter of Toffee is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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 collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading “"Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."”
earlier in time; previously
From this reading “Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"”
draw slowly or heavily
From this reading “"Quite a haul," the judge said.”
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading “"Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."”
third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “"Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."”
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
From this reading “Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “"Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."”
without force or sincere effort
From this reading “"Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."”
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 “What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?”
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 "Quite a haul," the judge said.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
in a state of sleep
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
earlier in time; previously
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
a boy or man
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
draw slowly or heavily
From this reading "Quite a haul," the judge said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading "Quite a haul," the judge said.
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
and nothing more
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Quite a haul," the judge said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
in or at or to some place
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
in or at that place or location
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
without force or sincere effort
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is he the one who was turned in earlier on the morals charge?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
which person or people
From this reading What about that tall fellow there who seems to be asleep?
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I only wish they'd haul them somewhere else.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, your honor," Sergeant Feeney said thinly, "he insists he's the head of the class."
Chapter 5 of The laughter of Toffee by Henry Farrell holds 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 452 sentences of The laughter of Toffee, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The laughter of Toffee by Henry Farrell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 laughter of Toffee by Henry Farrell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2318 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66014 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66014, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 464 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The laughter of Toffee section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The laughter of Toffee 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 laughter of Toffee, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
