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The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.
"Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.
Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.
"There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.
His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.
/æz suːn æz ðeɪ kʊd ɪˈskeɪp ðə bɔɪz ɡɑːt təˈɡeðər ˈɪntuː æn əbsˈkjʊr ˈkɔːrnər ʌv ðə pɑːrk ənd ðer tʊk ˈkaʊnsəl ʌv ðer ekˈstreməti/
Line 2
"Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.
Line 3
Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.
Line 4
"There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.
Line 5
His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.
/hɪz ˈkɑːmræd ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd wɪð ðə ˈʌtmoʊst ˈiːɡərnəs wʌt ðæt tʃæns maɪt biː/

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.

create verb US /kriˈeɪt/

make or cause to be or to become

From this reading “Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.”

extremity noun US /ekˈstreməti/

an external body part that projects from the body

From this reading “As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.”

folding noun US /ˈfoʊldɪŋ/

the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape

From this reading “"There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.”

girt verb US /ɡɜːrt/

inflected form of “gird” — prepare oneself for a military confrontation

From this reading “Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.”

narrower adjective US /ˈneroʊər/

comparative of “narrow” — not wide

From this reading “Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.”

raging adjective US /ˈreɪdʒɪŋ/

characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense

From this reading “Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.”

resolutely adverb US /ˈresəluːtli/

showing firm determination or purpose

From this reading “"There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.”

Scorpion noun US /ˈskɔːrpiən/

(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Scorpio

From this reading “Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

assistedadjectiveUS /əˈsɪstɪd/

having help; often used as a combining form

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

boysnounUS /bɔɪz/

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

chancenounUS /tʃæns/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

circlesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəlz/

plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

comradenounUS /ˈkɑːmræd/

a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

cornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

counselnounUS /ˈkaʊnsəl/

a lawyer who pleads cases in court

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

createverbUS /kriˈeɪt/

make or cause to be or to become

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

drawingnounUS /ˈdrɔːɪŋ/

an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

eagernessnounUS /ˈiːɡərnəs/

a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

elementnounUS /ˈeləmənt/

an abstract part of something

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

escapenounUS /ɪˈskeɪp/

the act of escaping physically

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

extremitynounUS /ekˈstreməti/

an external body part that projects from the body

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

foldingnounUS /ˈfoʊldɪŋ/

the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

girtverbUS /ɡɜːrt/

inflected form of “gird” — prepare oneself for a military confrontation

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

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

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

haltverbUS /hɔːlt/

cause to stop

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

inquiredverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪərd/

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

leadernounUS /ˈliːdər/

a person who rules or guides or inspires others

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

momentlyadverb

for an instant or moment

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

narroweradjectiveUS /ˈneroʊər/

comparative of “narrow” — not wide

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

obscureverbUS /əbsˈkjʊr/

make less visible or unclear

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

parknounUS /pɑːrk/

a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

prison-house

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

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

ragingadjectiveUS /ˈreɪdʒɪŋ/

characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

resolutelyadverbUS /ˈresəluːtli/

showing firm determination or purpose

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

Richard

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

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

Ripton

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

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

ScorpionnounUS /ˈskɔːrpiən/

(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Scorpio

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

There's

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

From this reading "There's only one chance," said Richard, coming to a dead halt, and folding his arms resolutely.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading As soon as they could escape, the boys got together into an obscure corner of the park, and there took counsel of their extremity.

utmostadjectiveUS /ˈʌtmoʊst/

of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading His comrade inquired with the utmost eagerness what that chance might be.

WhateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading "Whatever shall we do now?" asked Ripton of his leader.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Scorpion girt with fire was never in a more terrible prison-house than poor Ripton, around whom the raging element he had assisted to create seemed to be drawing momently narrower circles.

Chapter 5 of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 by George Meredith holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 5 holds 190 sentences of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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 Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1

Common questions about reading The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1?

Yes. All 1555 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4406 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4406, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 take to read?

About 129 minutes of reading across 311 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 section by section

How to work through The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

October
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shone
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Royally
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Richard's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.