Chapter 4 of Crucial Instances is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Crucial Instances is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_. Why have you brought me these? _Ventnor_. I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all. _(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?
Chapter 4 of Crucial Instances is here in full — 441 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.”
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading “_Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “_Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “_Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “_Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “_Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.”
in a tentative manner
From this reading “_(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?”
not welcome; not giving pleasure or received with pleasure
From this reading “_(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?”
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.
(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 I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
for the reason that
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Why have you brought me these?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
in a serious manner
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why have you brought me these?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why have you brought me these?
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
in a tentative manner
From this reading _(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Mrs. Dale (taking the packet and looking at him earnestly)_.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Why have you brought me these?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I didn’t bring them; they came because I came--that’s all.
not welcome; not giving pleasure or received with pleasure
From this reading _(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Ventnor_.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading _(Tentatively.)_ Are we unwelcome?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why have you brought me these?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why have you brought me these?
Chapter 4 of Crucial Instances by Edith Wharton holds 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 441 sentences of Crucial Instances, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Crucial Instances by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 441 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Crucial Instances by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3051 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7516 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7516, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Crucial Instances section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Crucial Instances 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 Crucial Instances, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
