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The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair
The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
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ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, did not keep possession of the chair a great while.
His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.
Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”
Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.
Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.
Line 2
His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.
/hɪz əˈpɪnjənz ʌv ˈsɪvəl ənd rɪˈlɪdʒəs ˈmætərz ˈdɪfərd ɪn ˈmeni rɪˈspekts frʌm ðoʊz ʌv ðə ˈruːlərz ənd ˈklɜːrdʒimɪn ʌv ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/
Line 3
Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”
/naʊ ðə waɪz men ʌv ðoʊz deɪz bɪˈliːvd ðæt ðə ˈkʌntri kʊd nɑːt biː seɪf ənˈles ɔːl ðə ɪnˈhæbətənts θɔːt ənd felt əˈlaɪk/
Line 4
Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.
/dʌz ˈenibədi bɪˈliːv soʊ ɪn ˈaʊər deɪz ˈɡrændfɑːðər æskt ˈlɔːrəns/
Line 5
Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

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.

clergymen noun US /ˈklɜːrdʒimɪn/

plural of “clergyman” — a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church

From this reading “His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.”

differed verb US /ˈdɪfərd/

past form of “differ” — be different

From this reading “His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.”

Lawrence noun US /ˈlɔːrəns/

Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)

From this reading ““Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.”

magistrates noun US /ˈmædʒɪstreɪts/

plural of “magistrate” — a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)

From this reading ““Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.”

Massachusetts noun US /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading “His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.”

ministers noun US /ˈmɪnəstərz/

plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading ““Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.”

rulers noun US /ˈruːlərz/

plural of “ruler” — a person who rules or commands

From this reading “His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.”

williams noun US /ˈwɪljəmz/

United States country singer and songwriter (1923-1953)

From this reading ““ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

actverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

alikeadverbUS /əˈlaɪk/

equally

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

anybodypronounUS /ˈenibədi/

any person at all

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

beliefnounUS /bɪˈliːf/

any cognitive content held as true

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

believedverbUS /bɪˈliːvd/

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

civiladjectiveUS /ˈsɪvəl/

applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

clergymennounUS /ˈklɜːrdʒimɪn/

plural of “clergyman” — a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

differedverbUS /ˈdɪfərd/

past form of “differ” — be different

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

Doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

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

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

GrandfathernounUS /ˈɡrændfɑːðər/

the father of your father or mother

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

inhabitantsnounUS /ɪnˈhæbətənts/

plural of “inhabitant” — a person who inhabits a particular place

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

LawrencenounUS /ˈlɔːrəns/

Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

magistratesnounUS /ˈmædʒɪstreɪts/

plural of “magistrate” — a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

MassachusettsnounUS /ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsəts/

a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

mattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

ministersnounUS /ˈmɪnəstərz/

plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

opinionsnounUS /əˈpɪnjənz/

plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

possessionnounUS /pəˈzeʃən/

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

PossiblyadverbUS /ˈpɑːsəbli/

by chance

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

religiousadjectiveUS /rɪˈlɪdʒəs/

concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

respectsnounUS /rɪˈspekts/

(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

ROGER

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

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

rulersnounUS /ˈruːlərz/

plural of “ruler” — a person who rules or commands

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “Does anybody believe so in our days, Grandfather?” asked Lawrence.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading His opinions of civil and religious matters differed, in many respects, from those of the rulers and clergymen of Massachusetts.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

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

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/

except if; if not

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading “Possibly there are some who believe it,” said Grandfather; “but they have not so much power to act upon their belief as the magistrates and ministers had in the days of Roger Williams.

WILLIAMSnounUS /ˈwɪljəmz/

United States country singer and songwriter (1923-1953)

From this reading “ROGER WILLIAMS,” said Grandfather, “did not keep possession of the chair a great while.

wiseadjectiveUS /waɪz/

having or prompted by wisdom or discernment

From this reading Now, the wise men of those days believed that the country could not be safe unless all the inhabitants thought and felt alike.”

Chapter 5 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair by Nathaniel Hawthorne holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Whole History of Grandfather's Chair contain?

Chapter 5 holds 65 sentences of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair by Nathaniel Hawthorne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 Whole History of Grandfather's Chair?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 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.

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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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #1926, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Vocabulary met early in The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stamp
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hutchinson
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
British
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Troops
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.