Chapter 4 of At Large is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of At Large is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Would you see a graceful maiden at her best? Then watch her dancing. Would you behold her most sweet? Then catch her unawares--if you can. Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
Chapter 4 of At Large is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
large room used mainly for dancing
From this reading “Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.”
see with attention
From this reading “Would you behold her most sweet?”
a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading “Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.”
consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs
From this reading “Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.”
characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution
From this reading “Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?”
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading “Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?”
hide under a false appearance
From this reading “Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.”
without forethought or plan; inadvertently
From this reading “Then catch her unawares--if you can.”
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 “Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.”
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 Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
(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 Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
large room used mainly for dancing
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
see with attention
From this reading Would you behold her most sweet?
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Then catch her unawares--if you can.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Then catch her unawares--if you can.
a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading Then watch her dancing.
consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Then catch her unawares--if you can.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
hide under a false appearance
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Would you behold her most sweet?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Would you behold her most sweet?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then watch her dancing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Most graceful and most sweet, then--I admit that the combination is a rare one, but she should be dancing all alone; for, alas! the ballroom has its mask, and the dual dance its trammels.
without forethought or plan; inadvertently
From this reading Then catch her unawares--if you can.
look attentively
From this reading Then watch her dancing.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Would you see a graceful maiden at her best?
Chapter 4 of At Large by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of At Large, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of At Large by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 At Large by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35684 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35684, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through At Large section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of At Large 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 At Large, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
