A Soldier's Son

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of A Soldier's Son is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Maude Mary Butler • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Carol had always been a lonely boy.

The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/30

A Soldier's Son Maude Mary Butler

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of A Soldier's Son is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Carol had always been a lonely boy. The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known. In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him. First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins. When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

A Soldier's Son

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of A Soldier's Son is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Carol had always been a lonely boy.

/ˈkærəl hæd ˈɔːlweɪz bɪn ə ˈloʊnli bɔɪ/

Line 2

The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

/ðə kəmˈpænjənʃɪp ʌv ˈʌðər ˈtʃɪldrən wɑːz ə ˈpleʒər hiː hæd ˈnevər noʊn/

Line 3

In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

/ɪn ðə rɪˈmoʊt dɪˈvɑːnʃaɪr ˈvɪlədʒ wer ɔːl ðə jɪrz ʌv hɪz jʌŋ laɪf hæd bɪn spent ðer wɜːr noʊ ˈtʃɪldrən huː kʊd biː ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd tuː hɪz hoʊm æz frendz ənd kəmˈpænjənz fɔːr hɪm/

Line 4

First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

/fɜːrst hɪz ˈmʌðərz ˈdeləkət helθ ənd ðen hɪz oʊn hæd prɪˈventɪd ˈvɪzɪts tuː ɔːr frʌm hɪz ˈkʌzənz/

Line 5

When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

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.

Carol noun US /ˈkærəl/

joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ

From this reading “Carol had always been a lonely boy.”

companionship noun US /kəmˈpænjənʃɪp/

the state of being with someone

From this reading “The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.”

cousins noun US /ˈkʌzənz/

plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle

From this reading “First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.”

Devonshire noun US /dɪˈvɑːnʃaɪr/

a county in southwestern England

From this reading “In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.”

diagnosed verb US /ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊst/

past form of “diagnose” — determine or distinguish the nature of a problem or an illness through a diagnostic analysis

From this reading “When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.”

doctors noun US /ˈdɑːktərz/

plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.”

eventually adverb US /ɪˈventʃəwəli/

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading “When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.”

hip noun US /hɪp/

either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh

From this reading “When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.”

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.

seven years noun + noun

In this reading “When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.”

delicate health adjective + noun

In this reading “First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.”

never known adverb + adjective

In this reading “The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.”

other children adjective + noun counted as “other child”

In this reading “The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.”

fall from verb + particle

In this reading “When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 Carol had always been a lonely boy.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading Carol had always been a lonely boy.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Carol had always been a lonely boy.

bonenounUS /boʊn/

rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading Carol had always been a lonely boy.

CarolnounUS /ˈkærəl/

joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ

From this reading Carol had always been a lonely boy.

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

companionsnounUS /kəmˈpænjənz/

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

companionshipnounUS /kəmˈpænjənʃɪp/

the state of being with someone

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

cousinsnounUS /ˈkʌzənz/

plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

delicateadjectiveUS /ˈdeləkət/

exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

developedadjectiveUS /dɪˈveləpt/

being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

DevonshirenounUS /dɪˈvɑːnʃaɪr/

a county in southwestern England

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

diagnosedverbUS /ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊst/

past form of “diagnose” — determine or distinguish the nature of a problem or an illness through a diagnostic analysis

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

diseasenounUS /dɪˈziːz/

an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

doctorsnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/

plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

eventuallyadverbUS /ɪˈventʃəwəli/

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Carol had always been a lonely boy.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

healthnounUS /helθ/

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

hipnounUS /hɪp/

either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

injurynounUS /ˈɪndʒəri/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

invitedverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd/

past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

lonelyadjectiveUS /ˈloʊnli/

lacking companions or companionship

From this reading Carol had always been a lonely boy.

mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

ponynounUS /ˈpoʊniː/

a range horse of the western United States

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

preventedverbUS /prɪˈventɪd/

past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

remoteadjectiveUS /rɪˈmoʊt/

located far away spatially

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

tubercularadjective

characterized by the presence of tuberculosis lesions or tubercles

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

From this reading First his mother’s delicate health, and then his own, had prevented visits to or from his cousins.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The companionship of other children was a pleasure he had never known.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading When he was seven years old a fall from his pony caused an injury to his hip, which eventually developed into what the doctors diagnosed as tubercular disease of the hip bone.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading In the remote Devonshire village, where all the years of his young life had been spent, there were no children who could be invited to his home as friends and companions for him.

Chapter 4 of A Soldier's Son by Maude Mary Butler holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 Soldier's Son contain?

Chapter 4 holds 150 sentences of A Soldier's Son, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of A Soldier's Son by Maude Mary Butler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 Soldier's Son?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 Soldier's Son

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Is this the complete text of A Soldier's Son?

Yes. All 2665 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39538 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #39538, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 222 minutes of reading across 533 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Soldier's Son, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Chapter IV

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