Chapter 5 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment. "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily. "In fact, I'm sure it is. I've seen the police portraits of him." There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
Chapter 5 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “"Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.”
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading “"Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “"Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.”
plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “I've seen the police portraits of him."”
make steady
From this reading “There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “"Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.”
possessive form of “walter” — German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.”
a mill that is powered by the wind
From this reading “There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.”
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 There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
in a flippant manner
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "In fact, I'm sure it is.
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I've seen the police portraits of him."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "In fact, I'm sure it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've seen the police portraits of him."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "In fact, I'm sure it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I've seen the police portraits of him."
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading I've seen the police portraits of him."
plural of “portrait” — a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading I've seen the police portraits of him."
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I've seen the police portraits of him."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
make steady
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "In fact, I'm sure it is.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
under normal conditions
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
possessive form of “walter” — German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
which person or people
From this reading "Who it seems to be!" repeated Sir Walter in astonishment.
a mill that is powered by the wind
From this reading There was a dead silence, and Sir Walter's usually steady brain seemed to go round like a windmill.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, I think it's the man you call Prince Michael," observed Mr. Fisher, airily.
Chapter 5 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 170 sentences of The Man Who Knew Too Much, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1720, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Knew Too Much section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Man Who Knew Too Much 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 Man Who Knew Too Much, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
