Chapter 5 of The Wiles of the Wicked is here in full — 404 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 Wiles of the Wicked is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous. A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note. "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?" I said. She sighed slightly.
Chapter 5 of The Wiles of the Wicked is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
From this reading “A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"”
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading “A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.”
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading “The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.”
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading “The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “She sighed slightly.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “She sighed slightly.”
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 “A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.”
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 A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
anew
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
(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 A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
a gay feeling
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
depressingly dark
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
a brief written record
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading She sighed slightly.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She sighed slightly.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
in or at that place or location
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
communicated in words
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The tone in which she uttered that sentence seemed incongruous.
the words that are spoken
From this reading A few moments before she had been all brightness and gaiety, but in those words there vibrated a distinctly gloomy note.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Surely you do not desire to commence your life again?"
Chapter 5 of The Wiles of the Wicked by William Le Queux holds 404 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 404 sentences of The Wiles of the Wicked, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Wiles of the Wicked by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 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 Wiles of the Wicked by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4856 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40831 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40831, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wiles of the Wicked section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Wiles of the Wicked 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 Wiles of the Wicked, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
