Chapter 5 of Washington Square is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Washington Square is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Precisely. He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour. The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!” Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper. She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
Chapter 5 of Washington Square is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
disposed to please
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.”
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading “She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.”
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading “The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!””
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading ““Precisely.”
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.”
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading “The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!””
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.”
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 The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
disposed to please
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
a particular point in time
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
above and across; more than
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “Precisely.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She rose with much animation, and stood for a moment looking at her brother.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He is looking for it here—over there in the front parlour.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Penniman was truly amiable, but she now gave signs of temper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The position of husband of a weak-minded woman with a large fortune would suit him to perfection!”
Chapter 5 of Washington Square by Henry James holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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.
Chapter 5 holds 200 sentences of Washington Square, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Washington Square by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Washington Square by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3988 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2870 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2870, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 332 minutes of reading across 798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Washington Square section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Washington Square 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 Washington Square, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
