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The Red Acorn
The Red Acorn

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Red Acorn is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Red Acorn
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.
-- Addison.
Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.
She did not weep.
Tears did not lie near the surface with her.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Red Acorn

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Red Acorn is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.
/æt leŋkθ aɪ hæv ˈæktɪd maɪ səˈvɪrəst pɑːrt aɪ fiːl ðə ˈwʊmən ˈbreɪkɪŋ ɪn əˈpɑːn miː ənd melt əˈbaʊt maɪ hɑːrt maɪ terz wɪl floʊ/
Line 2
-- Addison.
Line 3
Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.
Line 4
She did not weep.
/ʃiː dɪd nɑːt wiːp/
Line 5
Tears did not lie near the surface with her.
/terz dɪd nɑːt laɪ nɪr ðə ˈsɜːrfəs wɪð hɜːr/

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.

Bond's noun US /bɑːndz/

possessive form of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms

From this reading “Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.”

flow noun US /floʊ/

the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)

From this reading “At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.”

melt verb US /melt/

reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating

From this reading “At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.”

ordeal noun US /ɔːrˈdiːl/

a severe or trying experience

From this reading “Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.”

Rachel noun US /ˈreɪtʃəl/

(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin

From this reading “Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.”

severest adjective US /səˈvɪrəst/

superlative of “severe” — intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading “At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.”

triumphantly adverb US /traɪˈʌmfəntli/

in a triumphant manner

From this reading “Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.”

weep verb US /wiːp/

shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading “She did not weep.”

All words in this reading · 56

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 Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

actedverbUS /ˈæktɪd/

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

Addison

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

From this reading -- Addison.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

agonynounUS /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

Bond'snounUS /bɑːndz/

possessive form of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

breakingnounUS /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/

the act of breaking something

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading She did not weep.

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

flownounUS /floʊ/

the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

followedverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊd/

past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

guessverbUS /ɡes/

expect, believe, or suppose

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

how

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

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

interviewverbUS /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

lieverbUS /laɪ/

be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position

From this reading Tears did not lie near the surface with her.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

meltverbUS /melt/

reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading Tears did not lie near the surface with her.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She did not weep.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

ordealnounUS /ɔːrˈdiːl/

a severe or trying experience

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

RachelnounUS /ˈreɪtʃəl/

(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

severestadjectiveUS /səˈvɪrəst/

superlative of “severe” — intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She did not weep.

surfacenounUS /ˈsɜːrfəs/

the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary

From this reading Tears did not lie near the surface with her.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

triumphantlyadverbUS /traɪˈʌmfəntli/

in a triumphant manner

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/

except if; if not

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

weepverbUS /wiːp/

shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain

From this reading She did not weep.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Rachel Bond's will had carried her triumphantly through a terrible ordeal--how terrible no one could guess, unless he followed her to her room after the interview and saw her alone with her agony.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading At length I have acted my severest part: I feel the woman breaking in upon me, And melt about my heart: My tears will flow.

Chapter 5 of The Red Acorn by John McElroy holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 Red Acorn contain?

Chapter 5 holds 102 sentences of The Red Acorn, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Red Acorn by John McElroy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 Red Acorn?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 Red Acorn

Common questions about reading The Red Acorn by John McElroy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Red Acorn?

Yes. All 4141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2766 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Red Acorn is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2766, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Red Acorn take to read?

About 345 minutes of reading across 829 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Red Acorn section by section

How to work through The Red Acorn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Red Acorn to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Red Acorn

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Red Acorn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Perfect
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Acorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Heaven
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Acorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tries
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Acorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Earth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Acorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.