Chapter 4 of Curious, if True Strange Tales is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Curious, if True Strange Tales is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself. As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her. Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me. She never complained. Mrs. Clarke complained more than ever.
Chapter 4 of Curious, if True Strange Tales is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “She never complained.”
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading “As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.”
having made preparations
From this reading “As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.”
the property possessed by a slope that is very gradual
From this reading “Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.”
righteousness by virtue of being pious
From this reading “Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.”
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading “Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.”
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading “As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.”
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 Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Clarke complained more than ever.
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading She never complained.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
decree or designate beforehand
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
at any time
From this reading Mrs. Clarke complained more than ever.
having made preparations
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
the property possessed by a slope that is very gradual
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
provoking horror
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Mrs. Clarke complained more than ever.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Clarke complained more than ever.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She never complained.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
righteousness by virtue of being pious
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Mrs. Clarke complained more than ever.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Her gentleness and piety, under the pressure of so horrible a life, seemed over-passive to me.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was to be done next? was the question that I asked myself.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading As for Lucy, she would fain have submitted to the doom that lay upon her.
Chapter 4 of Curious, if True Strange Tales by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 253 sentences of Curious, if True Strange Tales, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Curious, if True Strange Tales by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 253 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Curious, if True Strange Tales by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3783 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24879 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24879, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 757 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Curious, if True Strange Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Curious, if True Strange Tales 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 Curious, if True Strange Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
