Chapter 5 of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE S.R.W. Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other? Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium? Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves. She distinctly prided herself thereupon.
Chapter 5 of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading “Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?”
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading “She distinctly prided herself thereupon.”
the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new
From this reading “Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?”
plural of “half” — one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.”
a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading “Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?”
past form of “pride” — be proud of
From this reading “She distinctly prided herself thereupon.”
plural of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading “Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?”
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.
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 Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
the two together, not just one
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading She distinctly prided herself thereupon.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
plural of “half” — one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She distinctly prided herself thereupon.
a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
past form of “pride” — be proud of
From this reading She distinctly prided herself thereupon.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading THE S.R.W.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading THE S.R.W.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She distinctly prided herself thereupon.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
plural of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE S.R.W.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She distinctly prided herself thereupon.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
From this reading THE S.R.W.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading Is it a confession of weakness, or is it one of the signs of the coming of the millenium?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
which person or people
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Mrs. Whittaker was a woman who never did things by halves.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Why is it that women are so fond of founding societies both for the improvement of themselves and of each other?
Chapter 5 of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker by John Strange Winter holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 120 sentences of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker by John Strange Winter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker by John Strange Winter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4173 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker 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 Little Vanities of Mrs. Whittaker, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
