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The Story of My Life
The Story of My Life

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Story of My Life is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Story of My Life
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I, however, thought little of this at the time.
After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.
It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.
At this time I was very miserable.
I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.
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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 My Life

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Story of My Life is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I, however, thought little of this at the time.
/aɪ ˌhaʊˈevər θɔːt ˈlɪtəl ʌv ðɪs æt ðə taɪm/
Line 2
After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.
Line 3
It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.
Line 4
At this time I was very miserable.
/æt ðɪs taɪm aɪ wɑːz ˈveri ˈmɪzərəbəl/
Line 5
I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.
/aɪ wɑːz ˈwɜːrid tuː deθ baɪ dəˈmestɪk ˈtrʌbəlz ənd fəˈnænʃəl ˈdɪfəkəltiz/

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.

declined verb US /dɪˈklaɪnd/

past form of “decline” — grow worse

From this reading “After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.”

difficulties noun US /ˈdɪfəkəltiz/

plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient

From this reading “I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.”

financial adjective US /fəˈnænʃəl/

involving financial matters

From this reading “I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.”

Heir noun US /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading “After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.”

theater noun US /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading “After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.”

tour noun US /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

From this reading “After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.”

troubles noun US /ˈtrʌbəlz/

plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty

From this reading “I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.”

worried adjective US /ˈwɜːrid/

afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief

From this reading “I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

CharlesnounUS /tʃɑːrlz/

King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

declinedverbUS /dɪˈklaɪnd/

past form of “decline” — grow worse

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

difficultiesnounUS /ˈdɪfəkəltiz/

plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

domesticadjectiveUS /dəˈmestɪk/

of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

fatenounUS /feɪt/

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

financialadjectiveUS /fəˈnænʃəl/

involving financial matters

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

HeirnounUS /er/

A person legally or magically entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

interestnounUS /ˈɪntrəst/

a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

naturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

Reade

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

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

theaternounUS /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading I, however, thought little of this at the time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

tournounUS /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

troublesnounUS /ˈtrʌbəlz/

plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading It has always been my fate or my nature--perhaps they are really the same thing--to be very happy or very miserable.

WanderingadjectiveUS /ˈwɑːndərɪŋ/

migratory

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At this time I was very miserable.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading After my return to the stage in "The Wandering Heir" and my tour with Charles Reade, my interest in the theater again declined.

worriedadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrid/

afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief

From this reading I was worried to death by domestic troubles and financial difficulties.

Chapter 5 of The Story of My Life by Ellen Terry holds 401 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Story of My Life contain?

Chapter 5 holds 401 sentences of The Story of My Life, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Story of My Life by Ellen Terry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Story of My Life?

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.

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 My Life

Common questions about reading The Story of My Life by Ellen Terry on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Story of My Life?

Yes. All 6401 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12326 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Story of My Life is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12326, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Story of My Life take to read?

About 533 minutes of reading across 1281 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Story of My Life section by section

How to work through The Story of My Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Story of My Life 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 My Life

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Story of My Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Doubleday
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of My Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mcclure
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of My Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Company
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of My Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Biography
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Story of My Life; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.