Chapter 4 of David Blaize and the Blue Door is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of David Blaize and the Blue Door is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him. But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out. It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear: ‘They’ll let you in soon. It’s a surprise.’
Chapter 4 of David Blaize and the Blue Door is here in full — 302 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:”
tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading “But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.”
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading “David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.”
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading “David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.”
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading “David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.”
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading “But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.”
extremely annoying or displeasing
From this reading “David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.”
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 “But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.”
In this reading “David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.”
In this reading “But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.”
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 But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:
be the source of pain
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:
have in mind as a purpose
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s a surprise.’
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading ‘They’ll let you in soon.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
on the contrary
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
in the near future
From this reading ‘They’ll let you in soon.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading It’s a surprise.’
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘They’ll let you in soon.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
extremely annoying or displeasing
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading David felt rather hurt at this, for having intended to ask them to tea, it was vexing to find that they didn’t intend to ask him.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading It bent down to David, and whispered in his ear:
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading But before he could feel much hurt the window on the third floor was thrown open, and a giraffe looked out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘They’ll let you in soon.
Chapter 4 of David Blaize and the Blue Door by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson holds 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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 302 sentences of David Blaize and the Blue Door, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of David Blaize and the Blue Door by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 302 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 David Blaize and the Blue Door by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2100 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 175 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through David Blaize and the Blue Door section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of David Blaize and the Blue Door 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 David Blaize and the Blue Door, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
