Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife
The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ellen M. Firebaugh • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.
"In March?
The roads are not passable yet, surely."
But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.
"I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."
0:00 / 0:00
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.

The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.
/wʌn deɪ ɪn ˈɜːrli sprɪŋ ðə ˈdɑːktər sərˈpraɪzd hɪz waɪf baɪ ˈæskɪŋ hɜːr ɪf ʃiː wʊd laɪk tuː teɪk ə draɪv/
Line 2
"In March?
/ɪn mɑːrtʃ/
Line 3
The roads are not passable yet, surely."
/ðə roʊdz ɑːr nɑːt ˈpæsəbəl jet ˈʃʊrli/
Line 4
But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.
/bʌt ðə ˈdɑːktər əˈʃʊrd hɜːr ðæt ðə roʊdz wɜːr ˈɡetɪŋ ˈprɪti ɡʊd ɪkˈsept ɪn spɑːts/
Line 5
"I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

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.

asking noun US /ˈæskɪŋ/

the verbal act of requesting

From this reading “One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
assured adjective US /əˈʃʊrd/

marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence

From this reading “But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
March verb US /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading “"In March?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
passable adjective US /ˈpæsəbəl/

able to be passed or traversed or crossed

From this reading “The roads are not passable yet, surely."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pick verb US /pɪk/

select carefully from a group

From this reading “"I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roads noun US /roʊdz/

a partly sheltered anchorage

From this reading “The roads are not passable yet, surely."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spots noun US /spɑːts/

spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens

From this reading “But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
today noun US /təˈdeɪ/

the present time or age

From this reading “"I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."”

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.

come back verb + particle

be restored

In this reading “"I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."”

121,424 times in 426,212 chapters
by asking preposition + noun

In this reading “One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.”

3,240 times in 426,212 chapters
ride out verb + adjective

hang on during a trial of endurance

In this reading “"I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."”

4,906 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 59

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 One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aheadadverbUS /əˈhed/

at or in the front

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The roads are not passable yet, surely."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
askingnounUS /ˈæskɪŋ/

the verbal act of requesting

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
assuredadjectiveUS /əˈʃʊrd/

marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Centerville

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

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Pending verification
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
driveverbUS /draɪv/

operate or control a vehicle

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading "In March?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The roads are not passable yet, surely."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
passableadjectiveUS /ˈpæsəbəl/

able to be passed or traversed or crossed

From this reading The roads are not passable yet, surely."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pickverbUS /pɪk/

select carefully from a group

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rideverbUS /raɪd/

sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roadsnounUS /roʊdz/

a partly sheltered anchorage

From this reading The roads are not passable yet, surely."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
spotsnounUS /spɑːts/

spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
springnounUS /sprɪŋ/

the season of growth

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
surelyadverbUS /ˈʃʊrli/

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading The roads are not passable yet, surely."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
surprisedadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzd/

taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
todaynounUS /təˈdeɪ/

the present time or age

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading But the doctor assured her that the roads were getting pretty good except in spots.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading One day in early spring the doctor surprised his wife by asking her if she would like to take a drive.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading The roads are not passable yet, surely."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "I have such a long journey ahead of me today that I want you to ride out as far as Centerville and I can pick you up as I come back."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 5 of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife by Ellen M. Firebaugh holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife contain?

Chapter 5 holds 170 sentences of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife by Ellen M. Firebaugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife

Common questions about reading The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife by Ellen M. Firebaugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife?

Yes. All 4597 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38752 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38752, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife take to read?

About 383 minutes of reading across 920 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife section by section

How to work through The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Italic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Marked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Underscores
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ellen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of a Doctor's Telephone—Told by His Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.