Chapter 5 of The Short-story is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Short-story is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe. "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest. Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off. See--here comes more of these gentry." Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
Chapter 5 of The Short-story is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 care or concern
From this reading “"Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.”
superlative of “dull” — lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “"There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.”
the most powerful members of a society
From this reading “See--here comes more of these gentry."”
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading “"Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.”
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
From this reading “Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.”
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading “Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.”
a crime that undermines the offender's government
From this reading “"There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.”
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading “"Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.”
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 "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
without care or concern
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading See--here comes more of these gentry."
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
superlative of “dull” — lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
divisible by two
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
the most powerful members of a society
From this reading See--here comes more of these gentry."
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading See--here comes more of these gentry."
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading See--here comes more of these gentry."
not any; not one
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
to some extent; in some degree; not wholly
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading See--here comes more of these gentry."
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading Another group of characters had now partly descended the staircase.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading See--here comes more of these gentry."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
a crime that undermines the offender's government
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tush! we have nothing to fear," carelessly replied Sir William Howe.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading "There can be no worse treason in the matter than a jest, and that somewhat of the dullest.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Even were it a sharp and bitter one, our best policy would be to laugh it off.
Chapter 5 of The Short-story by William Patterson [Author of introduction, etc.] Atkinson holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of The Short-story, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Short-story by William Patterson [Author of introduction, etc.] Atkinson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Short-story by William Patterson [Author of introduction, etc.] Atkinson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3975 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21964 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21964, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 331 minutes of reading across 795 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Short-story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Short-story 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 Short-story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
