Chapter 4 of A Thin Ghost and Others is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Thin Ghost and Others is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Dec. 25, '37_. MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it. Or there may be--you shall be the judge. At least, nothing decisive.
Chapter 4 of A Thin Ghost and Others is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.”
the last (12th) month of the year
determining or having the power to determine an outcome
From this reading “At least, nothing decisive.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “Or there may be--you shall be the judge.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “At least, nothing decisive.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 25, '37_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 25, '37_.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
later than; following
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
(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 MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At least, nothing decisive.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
dearly loved
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading _Dec.
determining or having the power to determine an outcome
From this reading At least, nothing decisive.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Or there may be--you shall be the judge.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading At least, nothing decisive.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Or there may be--you shall be the judge.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or there may be--you shall be the judge.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Or there may be--you shall be the judge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Or there may be--you shall be the judge.
in or at that place or location
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
the act of creating written works
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
but in spite of that
From this reading MY DEAR ROBERT,--This is a curious letter to be writing on Christmas Day, and yet after all there is nothing much in it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Or there may be--you shall be the judge.
Chapter 4 of A Thin Ghost and Others by M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 69 sentences of A Thin Ghost and Others, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Thin Ghost and Others by M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Thin Ghost and Others, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
