Chapter 5 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 412 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I have to find some place where I can stay.” He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?” “I don’t know. Perhaps only a little while.” “I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.
Chapter 5 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 412 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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?””
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading ““I have to find some place where I can stay.””
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.”
by chance
From this reading “Perhaps only a little while.””
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading ““I have to find some place where I can stay.””
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?””
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading ““I have to find some place where I can stay.””
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading “He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?””
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 ““I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.”
In this reading ““I have to find some place where I can stay.””
In this reading ““I have to find some place where I can stay.””
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 He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t know.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I don’t know.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
and nothing more
From this reading Perhaps only a little while.”
by chance
From this reading Perhaps only a little while.”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was thoughtfully silent for a little, then asked, “How long?”
in or at the place that
From this reading “I have to find some place where I can stay.”
during the time that
From this reading Perhaps only a little while.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I guess you can stay here a while,” he said.
Chapter 5 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams holds 412 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 412 sentences of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6634 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63184 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63184, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 552 minutes of reading across 1327 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
