Chapter 5 of The Ne'er-Do-Well is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Ne'er-Do-Well is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I think you don't understand who he is. Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?" Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion. "Certainly." "Well, he's the goat."
Chapter 5 of The Ne'er-Do-Well is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
state capital of New York; located in eastern New York State on the west bank of the Hudson river
From this reading “Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"”
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"”
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
From this reading “Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"”
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading “Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.”
any strong feeling
From this reading “Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.”
any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having a beard and straight horns
From this reading “"Well, he's the goat."”
plural of “lid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.”
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading “Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.”
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 Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
state capital of New York; located in eastern New York State on the west bank of the Hudson river
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Certainly."
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
something intended to communicate a particular impression
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
any strong feeling
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
at any time
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
any of numerous agile ruminants related to sheep but having a beard and straight horns
From this reading "Well, he's the goat."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, he's the goat."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
the basic unit of thermodynamic temperature adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
plural of “lid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well, he's the goat."
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Weeks's thick lids opened, this time to display a far different emotion.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, he's the goat."
which person or people
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Did you ever hear of Darwin K. Anthony, of Albany, New York?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I think you don't understand who he is.
Chapter 5 of The Ne'er-Do-Well by Rex Beach holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 405 sentences of The Ne'er-Do-Well, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Ne'er-Do-Well by Rex Beach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Ne'er-Do-Well by Rex Beach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5405 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5405, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1880 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ne'er-Do-Well section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Ne'er-Do-Well 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 Ne'er-Do-Well, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
