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The Wouldbegoods
The Wouldbegoods

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Wouldbegoods is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Wouldbegoods
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.
We did not mean to do such a deed.
And yet we did do it.
These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.
The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Wouldbegoods

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Wouldbegoods is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.
Line 2
We did not mean to do such a deed.
Line 3
And yet we did do it.
Line 4
These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.
Line 5
The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

All words in this reading · 52

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.

a

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

act

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

affair

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

all

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

and

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

anyhow

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

be

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

best-regulated

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

From this reading These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.

cannot

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

consciences

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

From this reading These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.

deed

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

did

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

do

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

ever

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

far-reaching

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

fatal

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

happen

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

From this reading These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.

in

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

influentially

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

intimately

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

involved

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

is

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

it

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

From this reading And yet we did do it.

lives

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

mean

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

means

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

mixed

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

most

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

naughty

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

not

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

of

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

one

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

Oswald's

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

other

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

our

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

private

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

rash

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

revealed

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

story

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

such

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

the

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

These

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

From this reading These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.

things

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

This

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

to

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

From this reading We did not mean to do such a deed.

up

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

we

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

From this reading This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives.

which

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

will

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

From this reading These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.

with

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

From this reading These things will happen with the best-regulated consciences.

without

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

From this reading The story of this rash and fatal act is intimately involved--which means all mixed up anyhow--with a private affair of Oswald’s, and the one cannot be revealed without the other.

yet

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

From this reading And yet we did do it.

Chapter 5 of The Wouldbegoods by E. (Edith) Nesbit holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 Wouldbegoods contain?

Chapter 5 holds 395 sentences of The Wouldbegoods, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Wouldbegoods by E. (Edith) Nesbit exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 Wouldbegoods?

Work through the 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 79 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Wouldbegoods

Common questions about reading The Wouldbegoods by E. (Edith) Nesbit on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Wouldbegoods?

Yes. All 4724 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #794 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Wouldbegoods is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #794, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Wouldbegoods take to read?

About 393 minutes of reading across 945 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Wouldbegoods section by section

How to work through The Wouldbegoods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Wouldbegoods to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Wouldbegoods

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Wouldbegoods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Children
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wouldbegoods; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Proper
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wouldbegoods; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Place
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wouldbegoods; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wouldbegoods; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.