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Cynthia Steps Out
Cynthia Steps Out

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Cynthia Steps Out is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Cynthia Steps Out
Context Illustration Reading 1/78 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.
“Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.
Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.
But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”
The idea interested Cynthia.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Cynthia Steps Out

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of Cynthia Steps Out is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.
Line 2
“Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.
Line 3
Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.
/ˈleɪtər ɑːn juː kæn ɡoʊ tuː ðə aʊt ʌv ðə weɪ ˈpleɪsəz tuː/
Line 4
But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”
Line 5
The idea interested Cynthia.
/ðə aɪˈdiːə ˈɪntrəstɪd ˈsɪnθiə/

Learner Dictionary

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.

basis noun US /ˈbeɪsəs/

a relation that provides the foundation for something

From this reading “But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.””

comparison noun US /kəmˈperəsən/

the act of examining resemblances

From this reading “But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.””

Cynthia noun US /ˈsɪnθiə/

(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana

From this reading “_Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.”

despise verb US /dɪˈspaɪz/

look down on with disdain

From this reading ““Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.”

Nancy's noun US /ˈnænsiz/

possessive form of “nancy” — a city in northeastern France in Lorraine

paint verb US /peɪnt/

make a painting

From this reading “But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.””

routes noun US /ruːts/

plural of “route” — an established line of travel or access

From this reading ““Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.”

student noun US /ˈstuːdənt/

a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading “_Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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 order preposition + noun

in a state of proper readiness or preparation or arrangement

In this reading “But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.””

lived in verb + particle counted as “live in”

live in the house where one works

In this reading “_Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

basisnounUS /ˈbeɪsəs/

a relation that provides the foundation for something

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

colornounUS /ˈkʌlər/

a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

comparisonnounUS /kəmˈperəsən/

the act of examining resemblances

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

CynthianounUS /ˈsɪnθiə/

(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

despiseverbUS /dɪˈspaɪz/

look down on with disdain

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

FIX-IT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

FrancenounUS /fræns/

a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The idea interested Cynthia.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

interestedadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪd/

having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern

From this reading The idea interested Cynthia.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

LateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

Michel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

MISSverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

Mont

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

Nancy'snounUS /ˈnænsiz/

possessive form of “nancy” — a city in northeastern France in Lorraine

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

ordernounUS /ˈɔːrdər/

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

paintverbUS /peɪnt/

make a painting

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

placesnounUS /ˈpleɪsəz/

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

routesnounUS /ruːts/

plural of “route” — an established line of travel or access

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

St

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

studentnounUS /ˈstuːdənt/

a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

talked-about

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

well-wornadjective

showing signs of much wear or use

From this reading “Don’t,” she told Cynthia, “despise the well-worn routes just because they are well-worn.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading But you need the talked-about places as a basis for comparison, just as you need to know black and white in order to paint color.”

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Later on you can go to the out of the way places too.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

youngeradjectiveUS /ˈjʌŋɡər/

used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father

From this reading _Mont St. Michel_ “LITTLE MISS FIX-IT” Nancy’s mother, who as a young art student had lived in France, knew all the places that Cynthia, as a younger art student, ought to see and go.

Chapter 4 of Cynthia Steps Out by Erick Berry holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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.

What does chapter 4 of Cynthia Steps Out contain?

Chapter 4 holds 390 sentences of Cynthia Steps Out, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Cynthia Steps Out by Erick Berry exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of Cynthia Steps Out?

Work through the 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 78 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Cynthia Steps Out

Common questions about reading Cynthia Steps Out by Erick Berry on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Cynthia Steps Out?

Yes. All 3252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53197 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Cynthia Steps Out is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53197, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Cynthia Steps Out take to read?

About 271 minutes of reading across 651 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Cynthia Steps Out section by section

How to work through Cynthia Steps Out section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of Cynthia Steps Out to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Cynthia Steps Out

Words and structures a reader meets early in Cynthia Steps Out, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Artist
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cynthia Steps Out; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stasia
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cynthia Steps Out; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Speech
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cynthia Steps Out; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Somewhat
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cynthia Steps Out; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.