Chapter 5 of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" 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 "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared. He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly. Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him. The position showed him at his best. Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
Chapter 5 of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" 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.
plural of “angle” — the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading “Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.”
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading “He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.”
the leader of a group of people
From this reading “It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.”
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading “Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.”
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.”
plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.”
make (textiles) by knitting
From this reading “Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.”
past form of “squeeze” — to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading “He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.”
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.
(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 He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
plural of “angle” — the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The position showed him at his best.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The position showed him at his best.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
the leader of a group of people
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
rid of obstructions
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
lacking grace in movement or posture
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
make (textiles) by knitting
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
on one occasion
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The position showed him at his best.
with speed
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The position showed him at his best.
past form of “squeeze” — to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He squeezed through the opening, but, for all his bulk, came quickly.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Once clear, he dropped upon his haunches, and knit his fists before him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was an hour before the chieftain himself appeared.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Crouched or in motion, the clumsy angles of his body were forced into relief.
Chapter 5 of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" by Douglas English 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 "Wee Tim'rous Beasties", unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" by Douglas English 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 "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" by Douglas English on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2089 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22129 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22129, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 174 minutes of reading across 418 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" 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 "Wee Tim'rous Beasties", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
