Chapter 4 of A Maid in Arcady is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Maid in Arcady is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently. “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear? Just the ghost of a chance?” The bowed head shook negatively. “You won’t?
Chapter 4 of A Maid in Arcady is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading “The bowed head shook negatively.”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading ““But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?”
in a gradual manner
From this reading ““Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “Just the ghost of a chance?””
in a harmful manner
From this reading “The bowed head shook negatively.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “The bowed head shook negatively.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading ““But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading ““Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.”
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 “The bowed head shook negatively.”
In this reading ““But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?”
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 “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading The bowed head shook negatively.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
dearly loved
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
in a gradual manner
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading Just the ghost of a chance?”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The bowed head shook negatively.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
and nothing more
From this reading Just the ghost of a chance?”
engage in
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
in a harmful manner
From this reading The bowed head shook negatively.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Just the ghost of a chance?”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The bowed head shook negatively.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Just the ghost of a chance?”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “Then I’ll try not to,” he answered gently.
precisely as stated
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You won’t?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But――couldn’t you make me very happy by telling me that I’ve got a chance with you, dear?
Chapter 4 of A Maid in Arcady by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 448 sentences of A Maid in Arcady, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Maid in Arcady by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Maid in Arcady by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2148 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60612 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60612, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 430 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Maid in Arcady section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of A Maid in Arcady 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 Maid in Arcady, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
