Chapter 5 of William—the fourth is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of William—the fourth is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself. They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year. He never could keep count of them. Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked. The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
Chapter 5 of William—the fourth is here in full — 266 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading “AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.”
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.”
regarded with aversion
From this reading “Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.”
with passionate fervor
From this reading “The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.”
appear again
From this reading “They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.”
past form of “reciprocate” — act, feel, or give mutually or in return
From this reading “The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.”
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading “They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.”
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 “They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.”
In this reading “The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.”
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.
in actual fact
From this reading Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He never could keep count of them.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading He never could keep count of them.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
regarded with aversion
From this reading Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
with passionate fervor
From this reading The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He never could keep count of them.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never could keep count of them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He never could keep count of them.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
appear again
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
past form of “reciprocate” — act, feel, or give mutually or in return
From this reading The latter class reciprocated his feelings fervently.
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Most of them he despised, some he actually disliked.
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
a following of one thing after another in time
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He never could keep count of them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
interact in a certain way
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading AUNT JANE’S TREAT William was blest with many relations, though “blest” is not quite the word he would have used himself.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading They seemed to appear and disappear and reappear in spasmodic succession throughout the year.
Chapter 5 of William—the fourth by Richmal Crompton holds 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 266 sentences of William—the fourth, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of William—the fourth by Richmal Crompton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 266 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 William—the fourth by Richmal Crompton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66971 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66971, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 884 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through William—the fourth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of William—the fourth 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 William—the fourth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
