Chapter 5 of The Settlers at Home is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Settlers at Home is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad! I would wash up all your dishes for you." "Take him! Oh, that's what you are at! To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
Chapter 5 of The Settlers at Home is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading “I would wash up all your dishes for you."”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “"But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!”
plural of “pan” — cooking utensil consisting of a wide metal vessel
From this reading “To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.”
clean with some chemical process
From this reading “I would wash up all your dishes for you."”
during the time that
From this reading “"But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!”
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 "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I would wash up all your dishes for you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Oh, that's what you are at!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Oh, that's what you are at!
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading I would wash up all your dishes for you."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, that's what you are at!
and nothing more
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
plural of “pan” — cooking utensil consisting of a wide metal vessel
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
carry out
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, that's what you are at!
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I would wash up all your dishes for you."
clean with some chemical process
From this reading I would wash up all your dishes for you."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Oh, that's what you are at!
during the time that
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading To be sure I will; and I might have thought of that before,--only I had my pans and things to put away.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I would wash up all your dishes for you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But if you could only take him for a little while, Ailwin, I should be so glad!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I would wash up all your dishes for you."
Chapter 5 of The Settlers at Home by Harriet Martineau holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of The Settlers at Home, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Settlers at Home by Harriet Martineau exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Settlers at Home by Harriet Martineau on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3026 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23264 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23264, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 252 minutes of reading across 606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Settlers at Home section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Settlers at Home 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 Settlers at Home, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
