Chapter 5 of The Vanishing Point is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Vanishing Point is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Tap-a-tap, tap-a-tap_. An interval, and then, _tap-a-tap_. Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door. “I beg your pardon.” He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
Chapter 5 of The Vanishing Point is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading ““I beg your pardon.””
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.”
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “An interval, and then, _tap-a-tap_.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading ““I beg your pardon.””
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “He caught her arm as she stumbled back.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.”
past form of “tiptoe” — walk on one's toes
From this reading “Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.”
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.
In this reading “Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An interval, and then, _tap-a-tap_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An interval, and then, _tap-a-tap_.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “I beg your pardon.”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I beg your pardon.”
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading An interval, and then, _tap-a-tap_.
accept an excuse for
From this reading “I beg your pardon.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
in a stealthy manner
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading He caught her arm as she stumbled back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Tap-a-tap, tap-a-tap_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading An interval, and then, _tap-a-tap_.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
past form of “tiptoe” — walk on one's toes
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Getting stealthily to his feet, he tiptoed to the threshold and flung wide the door.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I beg your pardon.”
Chapter 5 of The Vanishing Point by Coningsby Dawson holds 405 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.
Chapter 5 holds 405 sentences of The Vanishing Point, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Vanishing Point by Coningsby Dawson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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.
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.
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 Vanishing Point by Coningsby Dawson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7376 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50499 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50499, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1476 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vanishing Point section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Vanishing Point 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 Vanishing Point, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
