Chapter 5 of The Street Called Straight is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Street Called Straight is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He can't tell. That's just it." "And can you tell?" She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea. "I can tell--up to a point."
Chapter 5 of The Street Called Straight is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
plural of “eddy” — founder of Christian Science in 1866 (1821-1910)
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
a compact mass
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
very small
From this reading “She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.”
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 She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And can you tell?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "And can you tell?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He can't tell.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
plural of “eddy” — founder of Christian Science in 1866 (1821-1910)
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He can't tell.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can tell--up to a point."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That's just it."
and nothing more
From this reading That's just it."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a compact mass
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "I can tell--up to a point."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
express in words
From this reading "He can't tell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's just it."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
very small
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I can tell--up to a point."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I can tell--up to a point."
in the company of; together with
From this reading She let the lump of sugar fall with a circle of tiny eddies into the cup of tea.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And can you tell?"
Chapter 5 of The Street Called Straight by Basil King holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 413 sentences of The Street Called Straight, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Street Called Straight by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Street Called Straight by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6982 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14394 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14394, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 581 minutes of reading across 1397 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Street Called Straight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Street Called Straight 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 Street Called Straight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
