Chapter 5 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather. "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing. Willy fidgeted, and looked over his shoulder. "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty." "Speak to Kitty? certainly.
Chapter 5 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 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 cry made by sheep
From this reading “"Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Speak to Kitty? certainly.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “"Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.”
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading “Willy fidgeted, and looked over his shoulder.”
express in speech
From this reading “"Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “"Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “"Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.
the cry made by sheep
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Speak to Kitty? certainly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Willy fidgeted, and looked over his shoulder.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Willy fidgeted, and looked over his shoulder.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.
an offensive term for a Black nursemaid in the southern U.S.
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
above and across; more than
From this reading Willy fidgeted, and looked over his shoulder.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Willy fidgeted, and looked over his shoulder.
express in speech
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading KITTY AND WILLY "MA!" said Willy Merryweather.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
the act of creating written works
From this reading "Baa!" replied his mother, without looking up from her writing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mammy, I wish you would speak to Kitty."
Chapter 5 of The Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 173 sentences of The Merryweathers, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Merryweathers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Merryweathers 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 Merryweathers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
