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The Mud Larks
The Mud Larks

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Mud Larks is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Mud Larks
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.
The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.
All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.
P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?
I'm all in."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mud Larks

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Mud Larks is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.
Line 2
The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.
/ðə ˈænsər keɪm bæk æz ˈfɑːloʊz æsk ˈælbərt ˈedwərd/
Line 3
All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.
Line 4
P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?
Line 5
I'm all in."

Learner Dictionary

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.

Albert noun US /ˈælbərt/

prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)

From this reading “The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.”

Babe noun US /beɪb/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading “I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.”

discharge verb US /dɪsˈtʃɑːrdʒ/

complete or carry out

From this reading “All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.”

exercising noun US /ˈeksərsaɪzɪŋ/

the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

From this reading “I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.”

flirt verb US /flɜːrt/

talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions

From this reading “All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.”

outpost noun US /ˈaʊtpoʊst/

a station in a remote or sparsely populated location

From this reading “I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.”

pigeons noun US /ˈpɪdʒənz/

plural of “pigeon” — wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs

From this reading “I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.”

recipe noun US /ˈresəpi/

directions for making something

From this reading “I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

opposite sex adjective + noun

In this reading “All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.”

came back verb + particle counted as “come back”

be restored

In this reading “The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.”

know about verb + particle

In this reading “All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

AlbertnounUS /ˈælbərt/

prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

AskverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

askingnounUS /ˈæskɪŋ/

the verbal act of requesting

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

BabenounUS /beɪb/

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

birdsnounUS /bɜːrdz/

plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

ConounUS /koʊ/

an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

dischargeverbUS /dɪsˈtʃɑːrdʒ/

complete or carry out

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

EdwardnounUS /ˈedwərd/

King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

emnounUS /em/

a quad with a square body

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

exercisingnounUS /ˈeksərsaɪzɪŋ/

the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

flirtverbUS /flɜːrt/

talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

followsverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊz/

third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading The answer came back as follows:-- "Ask Albert Edward.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

galloper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

guv'nor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

haven't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I'm all in."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I'm all in."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

mustn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/

held or filled or in use

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

officialadjectiveUS /əˈfɪʃəl/

having official authority or sanction

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

oppositeadjectiveUS /ˈɑːpəzət/

being directly across from each other; facing

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

outpostnounUS /ˈaʊtpoʊst/

a station in a remote or sparsely populated location

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

PnounUS /piː/

a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

pigeonsnounUS /ˈpɪdʒənz/

plural of “pigeon” — wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

pudden

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

recipenounUS /ˈresəpi/

directions for making something

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

sexnounUS /seks/

activities associated with sexual intercourse

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

stopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

thereupon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading P.S.--You haven't got such a thing as a bit of cold pudden about you, guv'nor, have you?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I thereupon sent a galloper to the next outpost, occupied by the Babe and Co., asking him the official recipe for exercising pigeons.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading All I know about 'em is that you mustn't discharge birds of opposite sex together as they stop and flirt.

Chapter 5 of The Mud Larks by Crosbie Garstin holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Mud Larks contain?

Chapter 5 holds 424 sentences of The Mud Larks, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Mud Larks by Crosbie Garstin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Mud Larks?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Mud Larks

Common questions about reading The Mud Larks by Crosbie Garstin on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mud Larks?

Yes. All 2590 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59900 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mud Larks is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #59900, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mud Larks take to read?

About 215 minutes of reading across 518 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mud Larks section by section

How to work through The Mud Larks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Mud Larks to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Mud Larks

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mud Larks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Gallop
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mud Larks; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Unfooted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mud Larks; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Asphodel
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mud Larks; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beyond
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mud Larks; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.