Chapter 4 of An Isle in the Water is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of An Isle in the Water is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance. If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.' 'Dear lad!' said O'Donnell. 'But now you must take your chance. If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
Chapter 4 of An Isle in the Water is here in full — 439 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.”
third-person singular of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!”
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!”
in a humble manner
From this reading “'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'”
a boy or man
From this reading “'Dear lad!' said O'Donnell.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'”
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.
In this reading “'Dear lad!' said O'Donnell.”
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 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
showing who or what does the action
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
third-person singular of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
dearly loved
From this reading 'Dear lad!' said O'Donnell.
opinion or judgment
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
in a humble manner
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
apprehended with certainty
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
a boy or man
From this reading 'Dear lad!' said O'Donnell.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading 'But now you must take your chance.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
not any; not one
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading 'But now you must take your chance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Dear lad!' said O'Donnell.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
on the contrary
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
carry out
From this reading 'But now you must take your chance.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading If she chooses you rather than me--and, by heavens!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Oh, no,' said the other humbly, 'I never had a chance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'But now you must take your chance.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If I had had eyes for any one but her, I would have known your secret, and should not have dared to love her.'
Chapter 4 of An Isle in the Water by Katharine Tynan holds 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 439 sentences of An Isle in the Water, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of An Isle in the Water by Katharine Tynan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 439 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 An Isle in the Water by Katharine Tynan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1767 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31391 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31391, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 147 minutes of reading across 354 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Isle in the Water section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of An Isle in the Water 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 An Isle in the Water, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
