Chapter 5 of The Prisoner is here in full — 404 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 Prisoner is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated. "When I heard from her last she was in Poland." "Her name is Martha," said grandmother. "Don't let her come in here." She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
Chapter 5 of The Prisoner is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
without civilizing influences
From this reading “She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “"Her name is Martha," said grandmother.”
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading “She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.”
a republic in central Europe; the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 started World War II
From this reading “"When I heard from her last she was in Poland."”
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.”
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.”
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading “She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.”
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 She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.
without civilizing influences
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Don't let her come in here."
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't let her come in here."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading "Her name is Martha," said grandmother.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Don't let her come in here."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.
immediately past
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Don't let her come in here."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Her name is Martha," said grandmother.
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Her name is Martha," said grandmother.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.
a republic in central Europe; the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 started World War II
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Her name is Martha," said grandmother.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Aunt Patricia is coming," she repeated.
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She had a surprising voice, of a barbaric quality, the ring of metal.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
at the time that
From this reading "When I heard from her last she was in Poland."
Chapter 5 of The Prisoner by Alice Brown holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Prisoner, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Prisoner by Alice Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 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 Prisoner by Alice Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29366 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29366, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2134 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prisoner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Prisoner 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 Prisoner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
