Chapter V of The Missing Formula, “Clyde Wendell’s Mission,” is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter V of The Missing Formula, “Clyde Wendell’s Mission,” is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen. He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly. “Good morning. I’d like to go for a little row on the lake. Can you let me have a boat?”
Chapter V of The Missing Formula, “Clyde Wendell’s Mission,” is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading “He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.”
a river in western Scotland that flows from the southern uplands into the Firth of Clyde; navigable by oceangoing vessels as far as Glasgow
From this reading “Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.”
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading “Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading “He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.”
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading “Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.”
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 “Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.”
In this reading “Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.”
In this reading “Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.”
In this reading “I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.”
In this reading “He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.”
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 He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
(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 He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Can you let me have a boat?”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you let me have a boat?”
a river in western Scotland that flows from the southern uplands into the Firth of Clyde; navigable by oceangoing vessels as far as Glasgow
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good morning.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Can you let me have a boat?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Can you let me have a boat?”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Can you let me have a boat?”
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I’d like to go for a little row on the lake.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He appeared in a better mood than upon his arrival and greeted her pleasantly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
at the time that
From this reading Madge was washing breakfast dishes the next morning when Clyde Wendell entered the kitchen.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you let me have a boat?”
Chapter 5 of The Missing Formula by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 159 sentences of The Missing Formula, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Missing Formula by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Missing Formula by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2024 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40033 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40033, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 168 minutes of reading across 405 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Missing Formula section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Missing Formula 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 Missing Formula, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
