Chapter 5 of Wilfrid Cumbermede is here in full — 497 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Wilfrid Cumbermede is here in full — 497 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SWORD ON THE WALL. Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon? How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen? My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help. No better was my aunt.
Chapter 5 of Wilfrid Cumbermede is here in full — 497 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading “Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?”
a large and stately mansion
From this reading “How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?”
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?”
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading “My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.”
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading “THE SWORD ON THE WALL.”
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?”
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading “My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.”
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 How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading No better was my aunt.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading No better was my aunt.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
a large and stately mansion
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
in accordance with what is appropriate or suitable for the circumstances
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
not any; not one
From this reading No better was my aunt.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE SWORD ON THE WALL.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading THE SWORD ON THE WALL.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SWORD ON THE WALL.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading THE SWORD ON THE WALL.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading My uncle, however, I felt, was not the source whence I might hope for help.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading How came that which had more fitly hung in the hall of a great castle, here upon the wall of a kitchen?
but in spite of that
From this reading Where possession was impossible, knowledge might yet be reached: could I not learn the story of the ancient weapon?
Chapter 5 of Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald holds 497 sentences, grouped into 100 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 497 sentences of Wilfrid Cumbermede, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 497 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10072 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9183 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9183, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2015 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wilfrid Cumbermede section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Wilfrid Cumbermede 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 Wilfrid Cumbermede, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
