Chapter 5 of The Necromancers is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Necromancers is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"That was ... about September the twenty-seventh." "Thank you...!" He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two. "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'" "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
Chapter 5 of The Necromancers is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading “"And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"”
death of a person
From this reading “"And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"”
hear with intention
From this reading “"And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “"That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."”
the display of a motion picture
From this reading “"And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"”
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “"And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “"And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"”
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 opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."
higher than, or over, something
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
a youthful male person
From this reading "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
death of a person
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
hear with intention
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
a particular point in time
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading "That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."
the display of a motion picture
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
doomed to extinction
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
express in words
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank you...!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
coming next after the twenty-sixth in position
From this reading "That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He opened the note-book and turned the pages a moment or two.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That was ... about September the twenty-seventh."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is that book?" said the boy hoarsely.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "And will you listen to this, Mr. Baxter?--'Tell Laurie that the ground has sunk a little above my grave; and that cracks are showing at the sides.'"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Thank you...!"
Chapter 5 of The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Necromancers, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5213 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14275 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14275, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1043 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Necromancers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Necromancers 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 Necromancers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
