Chapter 5 of The Mystery of Choice is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Mystery of Choice is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse." "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza. "May I bring my net?" I added, half amused, half annoyed. She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.
Chapter 5 of The Mystery of Choice is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading “I added, half amused, half annoyed.”
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “I added, half amused, half annoyed.”
(used of behavior or attitude) characteristic of those who treat others with condescension
From this reading “She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.”
in a gracious or graceful manner
From this reading “"Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."”
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading “She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “"May I bring my net?"”
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading “"May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.”
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 “"May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.”
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 She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading I added, half amused, half annoyed.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading I added, half amused, half annoyed.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading I added, half amused, half annoyed.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
(used of behavior or attitude) characteristic of those who treat others with condescension
From this reading She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.
in a gracious or graceful manner
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading I added, half amused, half annoyed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She made a gesture, indifferent, condescending.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "May I bring my net?"
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading "May I bring my net?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
show unwillingness towards
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "May we bring our guns?" asked Donald from the piazza.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh," she said graciously, "if you put it in that way I could not refuse."
Chapter 5 of The Mystery of Choice by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 390 sentences of The Mystery of Choice, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Mystery of Choice by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Mystery of Choice by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3996 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46581 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46581, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery of Choice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Mystery of Choice 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 Mystery of Choice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
