Chapter 5 of The Maker of Opportunities is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Maker of Opportunities is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a moment there was no sound. The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike. Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs. "Quick! Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
Chapter 5 of The Maker of Opportunities is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading “The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.”
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading “Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.”
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
discouraging through fear
From this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading “The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.”
so extremely intense as to evoke screams
From this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure
From this reading “Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.”
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 “Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.”
In this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
temporarily
In this reading “For a moment there was no sound.”
In this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
In this reading “Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.”
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 For a moment there was no sound.
equally
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
United States writer (born in England) remembered for her novels for children (1849-1924)
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
divisible by two
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment there was no sound.
a person of German nationality
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
discouraging through fear
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment there was no sound.
plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
not any; not one
From this reading For a moment there was no sound.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
above and across; more than
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "Quick!
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
so extremely intense as to evoke screams
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading For a moment there was no sound.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The burglars looked at the Baron and the Baron looked at the burglars, mouths and eyes open alike.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
in or at that place or location
From this reading For a moment there was no sound.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Then, even before Crabb could display his intimidating revolver, the German had disappeared through the door screaming at the top of his lungs.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a moment there was no sound.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Out of the window!" said Crabb, helping Burnett over the sill.
Chapter 5 of The Maker of Opportunities by George Gibbs holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 98 sentences of The Maker of Opportunities, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Maker of Opportunities by George Gibbs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Maker of Opportunities by George Gibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3276 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38702 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38702, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Maker of Opportunities section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Maker of Opportunities 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 Maker of Opportunities, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
