Chapter 5 of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why so it has," stammered Alexander. Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket. "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently. "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander. "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
Chapter 5 of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 rapid active commotion
From this reading “Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.”
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading “"Why so it has," stammered Alexander.”
plural of “consequence” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “"After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."”
a single distinct event
From this reading “"After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."”
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading “"Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.”
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading “"Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.”
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading “Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.”
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “"No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.”
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 “"After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."”
In this reading “Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.”
In this reading “"After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."”
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 "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
a rapid active commotion
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
later than; following
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading "Why so it has," stammered Alexander.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
plural of “consequence” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why so it has," stammered Alexander.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
a single distinct event
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Why so it has," stammered Alexander.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
not any; not one
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
and nothing more
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
in the near future
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Why so it has," stammered Alexander.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why so it has," stammered Alexander.
express in words
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why so it has," stammered Alexander.
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading "No; I think it wiser to keep it out of the papers," returned Alexander.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "After all, it was only a little incident, with no serious consequences."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without further ado he put the revolver in his pocket.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Hadn't you better tell the park gateman about the outrage?" asked Antoinette presently.
Chapter 5 of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories by Charles Weathers Bump holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories by Charles Weathers Bump exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories by Charles Weathers Bump on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2593 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31082 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31082, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 216 minutes of reading across 519 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories 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 Mermaid of Druid Lake, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
