Chapter 5 of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply. "You wouldn't do anything so mad!" Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve. "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said. "Good heavens above, Merryon!"
Chapter 5 of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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 trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading “Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.”
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading “Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “"Good heavens above, Merryon!"”
a holiday taken by a newly married couple
From this reading “THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.”
roused to anger
From this reading “"You wouldn't do anything so mad!"”
plural of “refuse” — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
From this reading “"My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.”
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading “Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.”
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 Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading "Good heavens above, Merryon!"
any thing at all
From this reading "You wouldn't do anything so mad!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "You wouldn't do anything so mad!"
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good heavens above, Merryon!"
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading "Good heavens above, Merryon!"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
a holiday taken by a newly married couple
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
go away from a place
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
roused to anger
From this reading "You wouldn't do anything so mad!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good heavens above, Merryon!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
plural of “refuse” — food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
term of address for a man
From this reading "My wife refuses to leave me, sir," he said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You wouldn't do anything so mad!"
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Merryon's hard mouth took a sterner downward curve.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You wouldn't do anything so mad!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE HONEYMOON "You can't mean to let your wife stay here!" ejaculated the colonel, sharply.
Chapter 5 of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Safety Curtain, and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7039 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16651 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16651, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 586 minutes of reading across 1408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories 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 Safety Curtain, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
