Chapter 4 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?" "Very well," I answered. "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual." "Angels, eh? The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
Chapter 4 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “"I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."”
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"”
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading “The natural history of such fowl is interesting."”
the aggregate of past events
From this reading “The natural history of such fowl is interesting."”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “The natural history of such fowl is interesting."”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “The natural history of such fowl is interesting."”
plural of “nymph” — (classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden
From this reading “"I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."”
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading “"I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."”
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.
the scientific study of plants or animals (more observational than experimental) usually published in popular magazines rather than in academic journals
In this reading “The natural history of such fowl is interesting."”
In this reading “THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"”
introducing a different topic
In this reading “THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"”
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 THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Very well," I answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Angels, eh?
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
the act of acquiring something
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
the aggregate of past events
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Very well," I answered.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
plural of “nymph” — (classical mythology) a minor nature goddess usually depicted as a beautiful maiden
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The natural history of such fowl is interesting."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading "I think she's painting nymphs and angels, as usual."
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well," I answered.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE BOLT "And by the way," asked Gordon, a few days later, "how's Frieda getting along?"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well," I answered.
Chapter 4 of A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 223 sentences of A Top-Floor Idyl, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33218 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33218, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Top-Floor Idyl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A Top-Floor Idyl 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 Top-Floor Idyl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
