Chapter 5 of The Prairie is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Prairie is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Why, worthy father, what have we to lose? —The law Protects us not. Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us! Play judge and executioner. —Cymbeline.
Chapter 5 of The Prairie is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride
From this reading “Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!”
an official who inflicts capital punishment in pursuit of a warrant
From this reading “Play judge and executioner.”
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading “Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!”
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?”
third-person singular of “protect” — shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading “—The law Protects us not.”
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!”
something that is a source of danger
From this reading “Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!”
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading “Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Play judge and executioner.
having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading —Cymbeline.
an official who inflicts capital punishment in pursuit of a warrant
From this reading Play judge and executioner.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Play judge and executioner.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading —The law Protects us not.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading —The law Protects us not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
a separate part of a whole
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
participate in games or sport
From this reading Play judge and executioner.
third-person singular of “protect” — shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading —The law Protects us not.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading —The law Protects us not.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
something that is a source of danger
From this reading Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading —The law Protects us not.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading Why, worthy father, what have we to lose?
Chapter 5 of The Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 165 sentences of The Prairie, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6099 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6450 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6450, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 508 minutes of reading across 1220 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prairie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Prairie 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 Prairie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
