Chapter 5 of The Pagan Madonna is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Pagan Madonna is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Father and son! For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects. The encounter did not seem real, human. Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms! No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
Chapter 5 of The Pagan Madonna is here in full — 279 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.”
come together
From this reading “The encounter did not seem real, human.”
plural of “floor” — the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading “For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.”
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading “For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.”
done under pressure
From this reading “Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!”
an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading “For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.”
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.”
close enough to be walked to
From this reading “For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.”
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.
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 For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Father and son!
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The encounter did not seem real, human.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!
come together
From this reading The encounter did not seem real, human.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father and son!
plural of “floor” — the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading The encounter did not seem real, human.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
not any; not one
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The encounter did not seem real, human.
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!
the time that has elapsed
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading The encounter did not seem real, human.
done under pressure
From this reading Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The encounter did not seem real, human.
an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
a male human offspring
From this reading Father and son!
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
in or at that place or location
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Father and son, and they had not rushed into each other's arms!
lacking material form or substance; unreal
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading No matter what had happened in the past, there should have been some human sign other than astonishment.
during the time that
From this reading For a while Jane had the sensation of walking upon unsubstantial floors, of seeing unsubstantial objects.
Chapter 5 of The Pagan Madonna by Harold MacGrath holds 279 sentences, grouped into 56 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 279 sentences of The Pagan Madonna, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Pagan Madonna by Harold MacGrath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 279 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Pagan Madonna by Harold MacGrath on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5543 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27339 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27339, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 461 minutes of reading across 1109 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pagan Madonna section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Pagan Madonna 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 Pagan Madonna, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
