Chapter 5 of The Straits Impregnable is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Straits Impregnable is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep. “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!” I opened my eyes and looked at him. “My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away. He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
Chapter 5 of The Straits Impregnable is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
From this reading “IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.”
a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC
From this reading “IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading ““My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away.”
having or covered with hair
From this reading “IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.”
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading “He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.”
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading “He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.”
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading ““’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!””
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading “He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.”
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.
cause to become awake or conscious
In this reading ““’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!””
In this reading “IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.”
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “I opened my eyes and looked at him.”
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 He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I opened my eyes and looked at him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
an old word for “before”
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
opinion or judgment
From this reading I opened my eyes and looked at him.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away.
having or covered with hair
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I opened my eyes and looked at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I opened my eyes and looked at him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I opened my eyes and looked at him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading I opened my eyes and looked at him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
above and across; more than
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “My God,” said I. Eaves grinned and moved away.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading IN EGYPT Eaves put his hairy hands upon my shoulder, and dragged me out of sleep.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He wore his overcoat, and a helmet of wool over head and neck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “’Ere, Lake, wake up, you’re on picket with me!”
Chapter 5 of The Straits Impregnable by Sydney Loch holds 167 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.
Chapter 5 holds 167 sentences of The Straits Impregnable, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Straits Impregnable by Sydney Loch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 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.
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.
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 Straits Impregnable by Sydney Loch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4900 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60875 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60875, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 408 minutes of reading across 980 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Straits Impregnable section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Straits Impregnable 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 Straits Impregnable, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
