Chapter 4 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Your cab?' 'Your delicacy was expensive for you!' 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!' Selina cried. 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
Chapter 4 of A London Life, and Other Tales is here in full — 414 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.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading “'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'”
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'”
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “'Your cab?'”
plural of “cab” — a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance
From this reading “'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'”
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading “'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'”
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading “'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'”
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 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading 'Your cab?'
plural of “cab” — a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Selina cried.
the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance
From this reading 'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading 'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
express in words
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Selina cried.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
in spite of the fact that
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
to an inexpressible degree
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'You don't mean you were knocking about in _cabs_ with him!'
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading 'Of course I know that you don't really think a word of what you say about me,' Laura went on; 'though I don't know that that makes your saying it a bit less unspeakably base.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Your delicacy was expensive for you!'
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Your cab?'
Chapter 4 of A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James holds 414 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 4 holds 414 sentences of A London Life, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 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 4 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 A London Life, and Other Tales by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5410 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25500 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25500, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A London Life, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of A London Life, and Other Tales 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 A London Life, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
