The sociable ghost

Chapter V · The Mended Ghost

Chapter V of The sociable ghost, “The Mended Ghost,” is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Olive Harper • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The sociable ghost

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

But, large as he was, he seemed somehow to be unaccountably dwarfed, and the commendable curiosity belonging to newspaper men caused him to try and discover the meaning of this state of affairs.

As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter V Reading 1/47

The sociable ghost Olive Harper

Chapter V

The Mended Ghost

Chapter V of The sociable ghost, “The Mended Ghost,” is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner. The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions. Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man. But, large as he was, he seemed somehow to be unaccountably dwarfed, and the commendable curiosity belonging to newspaper men caused him to try and discover the meaning of this state of affairs. As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

The sociable ghost

Chapter V · The Mended Ghost

Chapter V of The sociable ghost, “The Mended Ghost,” is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

/dʒʌst æz ðə rɪˈpɔːrtər wɑːz ˈɡoʊɪŋ aʊt ʌv ðə ruːm hiː ˈnoʊtəst ə mæn ˈhɑːbəlɪŋ əˈlɔːŋ ɪn ðə moʊst ˈpeɪnfəl ˈmænər/

Line 2

The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

/ðə ˈʌpər ˈpɔːrʃən ʌv hɪz ˈbɑːdi wɑːz ʌv ɪˈnɔːrməs prəˈpɔːrʃənz/

Line 3

Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

/ˈiːvɪn ðə bɪɡ ˈɡæmblər wʊd hæv əˈpɪrd dwɔːrft bɪˈsaɪd ðɪs mæn/

Line 4

But, large as he was, he seemed somehow to be unaccountably dwarfed, and the commendable curiosity belonging to newspaper men caused him to try and discover the meaning of this state of affairs.

/bʌt lɑːrdʒ æz hiː wɑːz hiː siːmd ˈsʌmhaʊ tuː biː ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbli dwɔːrft ənd ðə kəˈmendəbəl ˌkjʊriˈɑːsəti bɪˈlɔːŋɪŋ tuː ˈnuːzpeɪpər men kɑːzd hɪm tuː traɪ ənd dɪˈskʌvər ðə ˈmiːnɪŋ ʌv ðɪs steɪt ʌv əˈferz/

Line 5

As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

/æz ðə mæn keɪm ˈhɑːbəlɪŋ əˈlɔːŋ hiː trɪpt ənd wʊd hæv ˈfɑːlən hæd nɑːt ðə jʌŋ mæn kɑːt hɪm ɪn hɪz ɑːrmz ənd held hɪm ʌp/

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.

commendable adjective US /kəˈmendəbəl/

worthy of high praise

From this reading “But, large as he was, he seemed somehow to be unaccountably dwarfed, and the commendable curiosity belonging to newspaper men caused him to try and discover the meaning of this state of affairs.”

dwarfed verb US /dwɔːrft/

past form of “dwarf” — make appear small by comparison

From this reading “Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.”

gambler noun US /ˈɡæmblər/

a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events

From this reading “Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.”

hobbling verb US /ˈhɑːbəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “hobble” — walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury

From this reading “Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.”

proportions noun US /prəˈpɔːrʃənz/

plural of “proportion” — the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole

From this reading “The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.”

reporter noun US /rɪˈpɔːrtər/

a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories

From this reading “Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.”

tripped verb US /trɪpt/

inflected form of “trip” — miss a step and fall or nearly fall

From this reading “As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.”

unaccountably adverb US /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbli/

in an unaccountable manner

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

upper portion adjective + noun

In this reading “The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.”

young man adjective + noun

a teenager or a young adult male

In this reading “As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.”

hobbling along verb + particle counted as “hobble along”

In this reading “Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.”

most painful adverb + adjective

In this reading “Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.”

newspaper men noun + noun

In this reading “But, large as he was, he seemed somehow to be unaccountably dwarfed, and the commendable curiosity belonging to newspaper men caused him to try and discover the meaning of this state of affairs.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

affairsnounUS /əˈferz/

matters of personal concern

From this reading But, large as he was, he seemed somehow to be unaccountably dwarfed, and the commendable curiosity belonging to newspaper men caused him to try and discover the meaning of this state of affairs.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

belongingnounUS /bɪˈlɔːŋɪŋ/

happiness felt in a secure relationship

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

bigadjectiveUS /bɪɡ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

commendableadjectiveUS /kəˈmendəbəl/

worthy of high praise

curiositynounUS /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsəti/

a state in which you want to learn more about something

discoververbUS /dɪˈskʌvər/

discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

dwarfedverbUS /dwɔːrft/

past form of “dwarf” — make appear small by comparison

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

enormousadjectiveUS /ɪˈnɔːrməs/

extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

From this reading The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

EvenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

gamblernounUS /ˈɡæmblər/

a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

hobblingverbUS /ˈhɑːbəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “hobble” — walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

meaningnounUS /ˈmiːnɪŋ/

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

newspapernounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpər/

a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

noticedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəst/

being perceived or observed

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

painfuladjectiveUS /ˈpeɪnfəl/

causing physical or psychological pain

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

portionnounUS /ˈpɔːrʃən/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

proportionsnounUS /prəˈpɔːrʃənz/

plural of “proportion” — the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole

From this reading The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

reporternounUS /rɪˈpɔːrtər/

a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

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

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

somehowadverbUS /ˈsʌmhaʊ/

in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

trippedverbUS /trɪpt/

inflected form of “trip” — miss a step and fall or nearly fall

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

tryverbUS /traɪ/

make an effort or attempt

unaccountablyadverbUS /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbli/

in an unaccountable manner

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

upperadjectiveUS /ˈʌpər/

the topmost one of two

From this reading The upper portion of his body was of enormous proportions.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Just as the reporter was going out of the room he noticed a man hobbling along in the most painful manner.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Even the big gambler would have appeared dwarfed beside this man.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading As the man came hobbling along he tripped and would have fallen had not the young man caught him in his arms and held him up.

Chapter 5 of The sociable ghost by Olive Harper holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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.

What does chapter 5 of The sociable ghost contain?

Chapter 5 holds 239 sentences of The sociable ghost, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The sociable ghost by Olive Harper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 sociable ghost?

Work through the 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 48 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 sociable ghost

Common questions about reading The sociable ghost by Olive Harper on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The sociable ghost?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The sociable ghost is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The sociable ghost take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The sociable ghost section by section

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

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 0 chapters of The sociable ghost to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The sociable ghost

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

Chapter 1: One of the 0 chapters of The sociable ghost, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2: One of the 0 chapters of The sociable ghost, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3: One of the 0 chapters of The sociable ghost, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.

Chapter V · The Mended Ghost

What does chapter 5 of The sociable ghost contain?

How do I study chapter 5 of The sociable ghost?

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading The sociable ghost

How to read The sociable ghost section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The sociable ghost