Chapter 5 of The Samurai Strategy is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Samurai Strategy is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"_Asa-han_." He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs. "_Hai_." She nodded and was gone. Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
Chapter 5 of The Samurai Strategy is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading “Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.”
prepare a hot meal
From this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
attach to a support
From this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
on a floor above
From this reading “Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.”
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.
In this reading “Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.”
In this reading “Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.”
In this reading “Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.”
In this reading “He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.”
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 Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She nodded and was gone.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Asa-han_."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
destroyed or killed
From this reading She nodded and was gone.
showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Hai_."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
attach to a support
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading She nodded and was gone.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She nodded and was gone.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He curtly ordered his gray-haired cook to bring breakfast, then turned to mount the ancient stairs.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
on a floor above
From this reading Although he kept the lower floor exactly as it had been two centuries past, the upstairs was a different matter entirely.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She nodded and was gone.
Chapter 5 of The Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Samurai Strategy, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11816 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2364 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Samurai Strategy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Samurai Strategy 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 Samurai Strategy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
