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A Lost Cause
A Lost Cause

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of A Lost Cause is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Guy Thorne • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Lost Cause
Context Illustration Reading 1/94 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.
James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.
She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.
She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.
The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Lost Cause

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of A Lost Cause is here in full — 473 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/94 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.
Line 2
James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.
Line 3
She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.
Line 4
She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.
/ʃiː wɑːz əˈloʊn ɪn ə ˌfɜːrstˈklæs ˈkærɪdʒ wɪð dʒeɪmz ˈdʊrɪŋ ðə hoʊl ʌv ðə ˈdʒɜːrni tuː ˈlʌndən/
Line 5
The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.
/ðə læst θriː deɪz hæd mɑːrkt ə steɪdʒ ɪn ðer ˈɪntərkɔːrs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

first-class adjective US /ˌfɜːrstˈklæs/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading “She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
intercourse noun US /ˈɪntərkɔːrs/

communication between individuals

From this reading “The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Lane noun US /leɪn/

a narrow way or road

From this reading “She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lucy noun US /ˈluːsi/

incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974

From this reading “LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lunch verb US /lʌntʃ/

take the midday meal

From this reading “She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Park noun US /pɑːrk/

a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property

From this reading “She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Thursday noun US /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading “LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
travelled adjective US /ˈtrævəld/

familiar with many parts of the world

From this reading “James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

first-class carriage adjective + noun

In this reading “She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.”

353 times in 225,867 chapters
three days noun + noun

In this reading “The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.”

29,464 times in 225,867 chapters
go home verb + noun

return home

In this reading “She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.”

37,600 times in 225,867 chapters
in the afternoon preposition + article + noun counted as “in … afternoon”

In this reading “She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.”

23,409 times in 225,867 chapters
last three adjective + noun

In this reading “The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.”

4,229 times in 225,867 chapters
for an hour preposition + article + noun counted as “for … hour”

In this reading “She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.”

15,449 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

Velmora curated lexicon
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BLANTYREnoun

city in southern Malawi; largest city and commercial center of Malawi

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
carriagenounUS /ˈkærɪdʒ/

a railcar where passengers ride

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CLERGY-HOUSE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

Pending verification
CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
driveverbUS /draɪv/

operate or control a vehicle

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
first-classadjectiveUS /ˌfɜːrstˈklæs/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
guestsnounUS /ɡests/

plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Hornham

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Pending verification
hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intercoursenounUS /ˈɪntərkɔːrs/

communication between individuals

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
JamesnounUS /dʒeɪmz/

a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LanenounUS /leɪn/

a narrow way or road

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Linquest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Pending verification
LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LUCYnounUS /ˈluːsi/

incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lunchverbUS /lʌntʃ/

take the midday meal

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
markedadjectiveUS /mɑːrkt/

strongly marked; easily noticeable

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ParknounUS /pɑːrk/

a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Poyntz

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

Pending verification
Scarning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

Pending verification
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
stagenounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The last three days had marked a stage in their intercourse.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThursdaynounUS /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

From this reading LUCY BLANTYRE AT THE CLERGY-HOUSE Lucy Blantyre left Scarning Court on Thursday morning.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
travelledadjectiveUS /ˈtrævəld/

familiar with many parts of the world

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She was to go home to Park Lane for an hour or two, make one of the guests at a lunch party with Lady Linquest, and then, in the afternoon, drive down to Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wholeadjectiveUS /hoʊl/

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading She was alone in a first-class carriage with James during the whole of the journey to London.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading James Poyntz travelled up to town with her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 4 of A Lost Cause by Guy Thorne holds 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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.

What does chapter 4 of A Lost Cause contain?

Chapter 4 holds 473 sentences of A Lost Cause, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of A Lost Cause by Guy Thorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 473 sentences, grouped into 95 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of A Lost Cause?

Work through the 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 95 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Lost Cause

Common questions about reading A Lost Cause by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Lost Cause?

Yes. All 3796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40539 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Lost Cause is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40539, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Lost Cause take to read?

About 316 minutes of reading across 760 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Lost Cause section by section

How to work through A Lost Cause section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of A Lost Cause to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Lost Cause

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Lost Cause, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Words
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Necessary
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.