Chapter 4 of A Simpleton is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Simpleton is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony. “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled. “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you. I walk so fast now. Hope I did not hurt you.”
Chapter 4 of A Simpleton is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading ““I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.”
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading ““I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.”
a digestible substance used to give color to food
From this reading “Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.”
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading “Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.”
any of numerous plants widely cultivated for their showy single or double red or pink or white flowers
From this reading “Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.”
large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
From this reading “Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.”
in a stiff manner
From this reading ““I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.”
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading ““I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.”
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 Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
a digestible substance used to give color to food
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Hope I did not hurt you.”
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading I walk so fast now.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Hope I did not hurt you.”
be the source of pain
From this reading Hope I did not hurt you.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Hope I did not hurt you.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I walk so fast now.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
accept an excuse for
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
any of numerous plants widely cultivated for their showy single or double red or pink or white flowers
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you.
large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I walk so fast now.
in a stiff manner
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Rosa cried “Oh!” and put up her hands to her face in lovely confusion, coloring like a peony.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading I walk so fast now.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “No,” said Rosa, “it was I ran against you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I beg your pardon,” said Christopher, stiffly, but in a voice that trembled.
Chapter 4 of A Simpleton by Charles Reade holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 407 sentences of A Simpleton, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Simpleton by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Simpleton by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2301, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1710 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Simpleton section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of A Simpleton 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 Simpleton, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
