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The Star of India
The Star of India

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Star of India is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Sylvester Ellis • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Star of India
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE OPENING TRAGEDY.
The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.
At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.
The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.
On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Star of India

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Star of India is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE OPENING TRAGEDY.
/ðə ˈoʊpənɪŋ ˈtrædʒədi/
Line 2
The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.
Line 3
At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.
/æt ðə deɪt ʌv ðə ˈmjuːtəni ɪts ˌpɑːpjəˈleɪʃən wɑːz əˈbaʊt ˈfɔːrti ˈθaʊzənd soʊlz/
Line 4
The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.
Line 5
On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

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.

accommodations noun US /əˌkɑːməˈdeɪʃənz/

plural of “accommodation” — making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances

From this reading “The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Delhi noun US /ˈdeli/

a city in north central India

From this reading “The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grassy adjective US /ˈɡræsi/

abounding in grass

From this reading “The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lurid adjective US /ˈlʊrəd/

horrible in fierceness or savagery

From this reading “On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
massacre verb US /ˈmæsəkər/

kill a large number of people indiscriminately

From this reading “On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mutinied verb US /ˈmjuːtənid/

inflected form of “mutiny” — engage in a mutiny against an authority

From this reading “On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mutiny noun US /ˈmjuːtəni/

open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers)

From this reading “At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
northeast noun US /ˌnɔːrˈθiːst/

the compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees

From this reading “The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

forty thousand adjective + noun

In this reading “At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.”

2,507 times in 426,212 chapters
twenty thousand noun + noun

In this reading “The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.”

5,825 times in 426,212 chapters
two miles noun + noun counted as “two mile”

In this reading “The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.”

9,400 times in 426,212 chapters
thousand troops noun + noun

In this reading “The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.”

229 times in 426,212 chapters
some thirty adjective + noun

In this reading “The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.”

2,091 times in 426,212 chapters
stands on verb + particle counted as “stand on”

In this reading “The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.”

10,227 times in 426,212 chapters
for twenty preposition + noun

In this reading “The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.”

5,855 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

10

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
accommodationsnounUS /əˌkɑːməˈdeɪʃənz/

plural of “accommodation” — making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cantonments

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

Pending verification
citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
datenounUS /deɪt/

the specified day of the month

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DelhinounUS /ˈdeli/

a city in north central India

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/

being ten more than thirty

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grassyadjectiveUS /ˈɡræsi/

abounding in grass

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lieverbUS /laɪ/

be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
luridadjectiveUS /ˈlʊrəd/

horrible in fierceness or savagery

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
massacreverbUS /ˈmæsəkər/

kill a large number of people indiscriminately

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Meerut

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

Pending verification
milesnounUS /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mutiniedverbUS /ˈmjuːtənid/

inflected form of “mutiny” — engage in a mutiny against an authority

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mutinynounUS /ˈmjuːtəni/

open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers)

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nativeadjectiveUS /ˈneɪtɪv/

characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
northnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
northeastnounUS /ˌnɔːrˈθiːst/

the compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OPENINGnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading THE OPENING TRAGEDY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
plainadjectiveUS /pleɪn/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
populationnounUS /ˌpɑːpjəˈleɪʃən/

the people who inhabit a territory or state

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seriesnounUS /ˈsɪriz/

similar things placed in order or happening one after another

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soulsnounUS /soʊlz/

plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
standsnounUS /stændz/

plural of “stand” — a support or foundation

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SundaynounUS /ˈsʌndeɪ/

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading On the afternoon of Sunday, May 10, the native troops at Meerut mutinied, and the first massacre of the lurid series began.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE OPENING TRAGEDY.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thirtynounUS /ˈθɜːrdiː/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TRAGEDYnounUS /ˈtrædʒədi/

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

From this reading THE OPENING TRAGEDY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
troopsnounUS /truːps/

soldiers collectively

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twentynounUS /ˈtwenti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading The cantonments lie two miles to the north of the town, and contained accommodations for twenty thousand troops.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The city of Meerut stands on a grassy plain, to the northeast of Delhi, and distant some thirty two miles.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At the date of the mutiny, its population was about forty thousand souls.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 5 of The Star of India by Edward Sylvester Ellis holds 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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 Star of India contain?

Chapter 5 holds 58 sentences of The Star of India, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Star of India by Edward Sylvester Ellis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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 Star of India?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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 Star of India

Common questions about reading The Star of India by Edward Sylvester Ellis on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Which edition of The Star of India is used?

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

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Vocabulary met early in The Star of India

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Star of India, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Star of India, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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