Chapter 5 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked. "Not if I know it." And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted." Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible. "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
Chapter 5 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a female actor
From this reading “"My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.”
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading “Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.”
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “"My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.”
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation
From this reading “Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.”
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “"My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.”
coated with paint
From this reading “"My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.”
in a stiff manner
From this reading “"Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.”
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 "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
a female actor
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
in a polite manner
From this reading "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Not if I know it."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Not if I know it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Not if I know it."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Not if I know it."
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not if I know it."
coated with paint
From this reading "My boy's girl's mother a painted actress," he muttered as he looked.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
in a stiff manner
From this reading "Sir?" said the lady, stiffly but courteously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Though the words can not have been distinguished, the sounds were audible.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And then he muttered: "_You'd_ look like an actress if you was painted."
Chapter 5 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spread Eagle and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Spread Eagle 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 Spread Eagle and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
