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The Little Match Man
The Little Match Man

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Little Match Man is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Luigi Barzini • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Little Match Man
Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.
“You,” I cried.
“How could you save him?”
“I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”
“How could you speak to him?”
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Little Match Man

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Little Match Man is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.
Line 2
“You,” I cried.
/juː aɪ kraɪd/
Line 3
“How could you save him?”
Line 4
“I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”
/aɪ ˈtwɪstɪd ðə end ʌv wʌn ʌv maɪ ˈbræntʃəz ərˈaʊnd ðə hɪlt ʌv hɪz sɔːrd tuː əˈtrækt hɪz əˈtenʃən ənd ðen aɪ spoʊk tuː hɪm/
Line 5
“How could you speak to him?”

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.

amazement noun US /əˈmeɪzmənt/

the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

From this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
astonished adjective US /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
attract verb US /əˈtrækt/

direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes

From this reading ““I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hilt noun US /hɪlt/

the handle of a sword or dagger

From this reading ““I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saves noun US /seɪvz/

plural of “save” — (sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring

From this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sending noun US /ˈsendɪŋ/

the act of causing something to go (especially messages)

From this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twisted adjective US /ˈtwɪstɪd/

having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented

From this reading ““I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.””

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
warrior noun US /ˈwɔːriər/

someone engaged in or experienced in warfare

From this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

came near verb + particle counted as “come near”

almost do or experience something

In this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

15,064 times in 426,211 chapters
threw up verb + adjective counted as “throw up”

eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

In this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

9,432 times in 426,211 chapters
in amazement preposition + noun

In this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

7,062 times in 426,211 chapters
in the air preposition + article + noun counted as “in … air”

on everybody's mind

In this reading “THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.”

36,563 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 48

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.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
amazementnounUS /əˈmeɪzmənt/

the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
astonishedadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
attractverbUS /əˈtrækt/

direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
branchesnounUS /ˈbræntʃəz/

plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “How could you save him?”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “You,” I cried.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Fiammiferino

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Pending verification
flyingadjectiveUS /ˈflaɪɪŋ/

moving swiftly

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HAJInoun

an Arabic term of respect for someone who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hiltnounUS /hɪlt/

the handle of a sword or dagger

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
How

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

From this reading “How could you save him?”

Pending verification
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
legsnounUS /leɡz/

staying power

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading “How could you save him?”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
SAVESnounUS /seɪvz/

plural of “save” — (sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sendingnounUS /ˈsendɪŋ/

the act of causing something to go (especially messages)

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading “How could you speak to him?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
swordnounUS /sɔːrd/

a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
threwverbUS /θruː/

inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twistedadjectiveUS /ˈtwɪstɪd/

having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented

From this reading “I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WARRIORnounUS /ˈwɔːriər/

someone engaged in or experienced in warfare

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE HAJI SAVES THE WARRIOR I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “You,” I cried.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 5 of The Little Match Man by Luigi Barzini holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 Little Match Man contain?

Chapter 5 holds 69 sentences of The Little Match Man, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Little Match Man by Luigi Barzini exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 Little Match Man?

Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 14 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 Little Match Man

Common questions about reading The Little Match Man by Luigi Barzini on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Little Match Man?

Yes. All 1293 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54678 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Little Match Man is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #54678, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Little Match Man take to read?

About 107 minutes of reading across 259 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Little Match Man section by section

How to work through The Little Match Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Little Match Man 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 Little Match Man

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little Match Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Translated
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Match Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Italian
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Match Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Luigi
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Match Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Barzini
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Match Man; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.