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A Terrible Secret: A Novel
A Terrible Secret: A Novel

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of A Terrible Secret: A Novel is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Terrible Secret: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/93 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN THE TWILIGHT.
"No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.
You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.
And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.
Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.
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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.

A Terrible Secret: A Novel

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of A Terrible Secret: A Novel is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/93 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN THE TWILIGHT.
/ɪn ðə ˈtwaɪlaɪt/
Line 2
"No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.
Line 3
You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.
Line 4
And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.
Line 5
Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

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.

acted verb US /ˈæktɪd/

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading “You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.”

blurred adjective US /blɜːrd/

indistinct or hazy in outline

From this reading “And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.”

brides noun US /braɪdz/

plural of “bride” — a woman who has recently been married

From this reading “Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.”

daughters noun US /ˈdɔːtərz/

plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring

From this reading “Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.”

Dukes noun US /duːks/

plural of “duke” — a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading “Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.”

Royals noun US /ˈrɔɪəlz/

plural of “royal” — a sail set next above the topgallant on a royal mast

From this reading “Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.”

twilight noun US /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading “IN THE TWILIGHT.”

Victor noun US /ˈvɪktər/

a combatant who is able to defeat rivals

From this reading “"No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.”

All words in this reading · 41

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.

actedverbUS /ˈæktɪd/

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

blurredadjectiveUS /blɜːrd/

indistinct or hazy in outline

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

bridesnounUS /braɪdz/

plural of “bride” — a woman who has recently been married

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

Catheron

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

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

conductverbUS /ˈkɑːndəkt/

direct the course of; manage or control

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

cousinnounUS /ˈkʌzən/

the child of your aunt or uncle

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

daughtersnounUS /ˈdɔːtərz/

plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

disgracefullyadverb

in a dishonorable manner or to a dishonorable degree

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

DukesnounUS /duːks/

plural of “duke” — a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

escutcheonnoun

a flat protective covering (on a door or wall etc) to prevent soiling by dirty fingers

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IN THE TWILIGHT.

Inez

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

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

linenounUS /laɪn/

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

listeningnounUS /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/

the act of hearing attentively

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

reprehendverb

express strong disapproval of

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

RoyalsnounUS /ˈrɔɪəlz/

plural of “royal” — a sail set next above the topgallant on a royal mast

From this reading Dukes' daughters have entered Catheron Royals as brides.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE TWILIGHT.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

TWILIGHTnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading IN THE TWILIGHT.

VictornounUS /ˈvɪktər/

a combatant who is able to defeat rivals

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading And you are the first of your line who has blurred the family escutcheon.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You have acted disgracefully; you are listening, sir,--disgracefully, I say, to your cousin Inez.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "No words can be strong enough to reprehend your conduct, Victor.

Chapter 4 of A Terrible Secret: A Novel by May Agnes Fleming holds 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 Terrible Secret: A Novel contain?

Chapter 4 holds 468 sentences of A Terrible Secret: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of A Terrible Secret: A Novel by May Agnes Fleming exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 Terrible Secret: A Novel?

Work through the 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 94 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 Terrible Secret: A Novel

Common questions about reading A Terrible Secret: A Novel by May Agnes Fleming on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Terrible Secret: A Novel?

Yes. All 10227 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7063 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Terrible Secret: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #7063, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Terrible Secret: A Novel take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2046 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Terrible Secret: A Novel section by section

How to work through A Terrible Secret: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in A Terrible Secret: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Terrible Secret: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Genteel
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Terrible Secret: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lodging-house
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Terrible Secret: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Neighborhood
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Terrible Secret: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Russell
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Terrible Secret: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.